Friendship

Some friendships are magic. It has been ten and a half years since I was in a position to see my college girlfriends every day. At times, we have lived on three separate continents and today we span the United States. But, this weekend we were in one place, one time and while almost everything about our lives has changed nothing about our bond has.

With them, I was tough enough to hike up this mountain to the top of Multnomah Falls. (It is every bit as high and steep as it looks.) Those of us from the flat lands were breathing heavily in the thinner air and leaning in to the incline. The mountain girls took the trail like nimble goats. But, we got to the top together.

At the Saturday Market, the differences in our tastes could not have been more apparent. I ogled a silk quilted jacket, while another coveted the marble lions that would look great in her drive. We each knew exactly what would appeal to another, though, often calling out "come look, it looks just like you." Ten years of sporadic visits, but we still know.

We cooked together, played together and talked incessantly. We shared stories, talked about scary decisions, and told inside jokes. I found myself startled when someone shared a bit about their daily life I didn't know, and only on the flight home did it occur to me that what is truly surprising is how much we do know. If you work at it, relationships can be maintained through email and phone calls. But, the occasional chance to share a fall day and an apple - to strengthen that bond with some time together - its precious.

Oregon was beautiful, if a bit cold and rainy, but we could have been anywhere. We just needed to be.