friends from afar

I'm having a bit of an emotional session here after getting an email from a Banffite friend of mine who I haven't seen in about a year, although we somewhat regularly communicate through email. I was reading her email and realize I really, really miss her and that it's definitely time we had a get together of some sort! It's strange, because our initial introduction was not a good one - actually, it was fairly rocky after some very harsh professional criticisms which were taken the wrong way (or maybe the right way given the amount of time we had known one another!). But after that, following a heart-to-heart discussion over a couple of scotches, we bonded and we've become very close in the last 2 years. Maybe it's true that the more difficulties that a relationship goes through, the stronger it can be made. Anyway, from a professional point of view, she's always been there to help me. And from a personal point of view, the same. And now, I really do miss her.

Once in a while, like a large brick to the head, it hits me how much I need my close friends and how lucky I am to have great people around me. How many great mentors I have as well, who continue to support me. I don't know why that has happened, because, in my darkest, most depressed states, I don't think I'm particularly worth standing by, but thankfully, those days are few and far between now, and I'm simply grateful for the close friends I do have who put up with me regardless of how insane, wonky, depressed or baggage-filled I might be! And when some of those friends are out of town and I only get to see them once in a while, it hits home a lot harder. But maybe if they were all close at hand, I wouldn't appreciate them as much.