There are countless different definitions of the word "friend," and while some people use that word to refer to anyone they've interacted with at least a handful of times, others reserve that word as sacred -- only applied to those whom they trust and share a bond with.
I joke that someone is not officially my friend until they've seen the movie Troll 2. (I'm kind of obsessed... I hold yearly Troll 2 parties which involve a large variety of green food, as well as a pre-movie speech, in which I prepare the Troll 2 virgins for what they are about to experience.)
In reality, the best definition of friend I've heard of is truly cheesy, as all attempts at describing such things are, and I love it nonetheless:
"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."
Most people take years to get to know the music behind who you are, but on a rare occasion, a few seem to know the beginning bars of it right away.
....
But really, this is all a little too abstract, isn't it? There's got to be a tangible sign, a quantifiable checkpoint during that journey from acquaintanceship to friendship, hasn't there?
I can think of one. And it's very trivial, indeed. ...Maybe even more so than Troll 2.
Whenever I save someone's number on my phone whom I've just met, I add an epithet onto their name so I can remember who they are so I don't accidentally delete them from my phone later because I don't remember who they are. Example: "Greg from ISU Swing," or "Beth from ENG308," etc. But, say I get to become better acquainted with that person. It gets to the point where, one day, I'm about to text one of my dear friends, and I see that their name on my phone still includes that tagline, which is now entirely unnecessary. Obviously, I delete it, and then it's just saved as their name. Often, as only their first name, even though I know I'll probably meet other people who have their same name. For now, I'm not worried about that.
I know I'll remember them.
And, apparently I'm not the only one who adds taglines to their new phone contacts. It makes me realize that we all think we're set -- that we don't need any more friends, and we don't expect the new people in our lives to become anything more than faces we see and make small talk with every couple weeks or so. We never expect the strangers of today to become the shoulders we cry on tomorrow.
And so, this is my toast to the unexpected,
to the strangers I happened to stop and talk with at a coffee shop
one day when I should have been busy
doing other things or
seeing other people.
This is my prayer of thankfulness
for the people in my life I never saw coming,
never thought I needed,
who have showed me love and given me
reasons to look further than the first (or even fifth) layer
and to know and love anyway
(because I have been known and
loved anyway.)
