The long road of friendship

She's the friend who's seen me at my best, and my worst. The friend who remembers each of my teenage boyfriends and crushes, and I hers. The friend who hates the idea of touching other people's feet as much as I do, yet thinks nothing of taking a needle and tweezers to the sole of my foot to remove a highly irritating deck splinter. The friend who lives hundreds of miles away from me now, with a husband and kids of her own.

What a treat it is to be able to see her -- to delight in the way our lives have changed, and remember the many years we spent trying to find our way in the world. Not to mention the mistakes we made along the way. 

During our weekend visit, we took one outing together without her newborn and two-year-old. Just like the many years we spent tooling around in her Subaru sedan as teenagers, I sat in the passenger seat, she in the driver's seat. Back then, I was the navigator (she had a terrible sense of direction) pointing her to the appropriate left or right turn and sometimes warning her to watch for a stop sign or red light. Now, I may sit in the passenger seat from time to time, but she's in the driver's seat.  She knows her own way around her own life, and doesn't need my help. That's the way it should be. 

We meandered around the grocery store, throwing things in the cart not just for ourselves, but for her family -- all the while scheming ways to get her toddler to eat more green vegetables. I still remember the days we would shop for just a pint of ice cream. Or once we were (finally!) 21 years old, a case of beer. 

Our journey together from teenage years to early adulthood seems a distant but not completely foggy memory, especially when I'm sitting in the passenger seat of her car. And even though the people and circumstances of our lives have changed, what a comfort it is to know that we possess one of those rare friendships which easily withstands the many miles and years. During those few-and-far-between occasions that we are able to spend time together, it's not hard to remember the days when the two of us had nothing but a car, a long road, and time on our side. 

And maybe a pint of ice cream, just in case.