Lasting Friendship

Last night I talked to a friend that I hadn't talked to in months.  We used to talk every day or every few days because we worked together,  but since our jobs have changed and the business has moved on without us, we have missed the interaction, the conversations but most of all each other's company.

The two of us have travelled together to Paris, Amsterdam, Munich, Nuremberg, Bangkok, Shanghai,
Hong Kong, New York and Long Beach and more.  We have almost missed flights, been lost numerous times, shopped until the stores closed (and once even after the store closed).   We have worked so hard and long we can't think straight,  designed products on hotel restaurant napkins, worked on trains at midnight, on long flights and still found time to have fun.  Through it all, my friend taught me how to design, how to see the whole child, how to tweak an idea to make it even better.  She gave me confidence to try, to speak up and to stand up.  She calmed me and gave me perspective.
After our phone call, I realized how much she means to me, how there are only a few friendships in a lifetime like this one and how I long for  this friendship to last the rest of my life.  I need to work harder on my friendships.  I need to be there, to check in and be a better friend.  Life is too short to go any farther without great friends.

"One of the most beautiful qualities of a true friendship is to understand and to be understood."