Friendship

On my trip to Rome last year, I met an old man in a shuttle that went from the airport to the city. I wasn't sure how to get to the city. An older man, who spoke with an American accent, sat next to me with his friends taking up other seats. They were all chatting, laughing, excited for the trip.

We got to talking and he said how he was a pilot and had travelled around the world. He gave recommendations as to what to do in Rome and Vatican City, wisdom he had acquired from his numerous trips to the area. He had a spare ticket on the shuttle that was not used because one of his friends couldn't join him on the trip. He covered the ride into the City. I was immensely grateful.

During our conversation, we got to talking about friendship. I noted the pain that comes from friends moving on. The feeling you get when someone with whom you have been close -- the people who helped you discover new aspects of yourself, think differently, be bolder -- moves on to a new stage in your life. We'll chat every so often, but one thing is for sure: we're both doing different things and, as close as our friendship was at one time, we moved on to new chapters. I lamented the loss of frequency in chatting with a friend to myself, but then we spoke about the joy of friendship.

Friendships come and go, but what I hold on to is the impact that I'm able to have on someone. I can offer my assistance when they are down; a kind ear. I can encourage you to be more confident, to step out of your comfort zone, to help you see the world from a different perspective. If we spoke every day for months then, one day, never spoke again, I would feel pain, but leave with the joy that came from the time we conversed and laughed. The time we were together.

Tagged in life.