My best friend just got out of the hospital today.  And because I know Amy-Renee likes to read about herself in blogs, and I know this will make her happy, I am going to tell you a little about her.

The vast majority of folks that see us together scratch their heads in wonder that we have gotten along so well for this long.  Sometimes, I scratch my head myself.  I am sure she does too; I am not the easiest person to get along with.

We are, at a glance, at extreme ends of the spectrum of human existance.

Where I am serious, she is silly.  I crave deep roots.  She is the perennial gypsy.  I hate driving.  She is never happier than with the wind in her hair and the road before her.  I travel.  She wanders.  My style is classic,  she is le modèle du jour.  She is the most materialistic buddhist I know.   Where I am shades of green and blue, she is “in-your-face pink” - a girlie girl, with attitude.  I am a tomboy.  She is boy-crazy. 

I live my life in the abstract.  She is a force of Nature. 

The things we share far outweigh the differences in our temperament.  And they are the things that matter.  We share a code of life that celebrates the loyalty of friendship, the willingness to answer the call in the night, to hear tears without judgement, even when we don’t understand.  And when it is really, really necessary, to deliver tough love with gentleness.

We share the fierce love of mothers for our sons.  We share a love of the warm kitchen and a beautiful spring day.  We share a joy for the simple act of waking up each day and living life.  We share the knowledge that our time on earth is short, and we must make each moment count.  We can laugh at each other, and at ourselves.

And, man, can we laugh.

 

She drives me crazy.  And damn, if I don’t love her for it.