On Friendship

135 Minutes of Commute: We Know Lyrics - Talib Kweli

Waitin' for that victorious feelin' wanted by all of us
Kneelin' and praying that the lord in us will help us love ourselves
So much that the confidence attract to someone else

Last night I chilled Nissi. I love hanging out with her so much and I am thrilled that she and I are living in the same city after college. Our rendezvous was simple: we met, with the aim of dinner, at Urban Outfitters. I was searching for a brown skirt to buy and don (replacing my brown work-pants) in hopes of sneaking away from the heat and humidity. Finding no flattering skirt, we ran to the nearest air-conditioned eatery. It was a slightly too-pricey Mexican restaurant that served poorly-made margaritas but regained my approval with shockingly realistic decor which, though indoor, evoked an outdoor patio in twilight. But these happenings are mere ornaments to the night, for the meat of the evening was that it was with her. I am always comforted by her, no matter what we do together. It is not a comfort that comes from solutions to my problems, but more that I am happy that there is someone in my life who is not related to me by blood and who still, I feel, loves me unconditionally. I'm sure part of these feelings come from the fact that we have known each other so long; she is my oldest best-friend. We are fiercely distinct individuals (you could not confuse us, never, though you may believe we are sisters) and yet despite our incredible differences, we share so many of the same attitudes about life. Time and distance has had little effect on us. (If anything, perhaps a growth of fondness, I think.) Please do not assume that I do not love other friends equally, that is entirely contrapostive to the truth, and time and distance have had equally little effect on other relationships, too. If anything I seek to clarify my relationship with her in an effort to simultaneously better understand other relationships in my life. But, here is, after some digging, what I believe is the crux: Narissa and I grow up together. I don't mean phsyically, I mean mentally. From the beginning of when I remember my mind to have awoken, I remember Narissa there, struggling with me.

I love you, friends.

And let your best be for your friend.
If he must know the ebb of your tide, let him know the flood also.
For what is your friend that you should seek him with hours to kill?
Seek him always with hours to live.
For it is his to fill your need, but not your emptiness.
And in the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed. 

from On Friendship, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran