First, Linds: I love you too! Spontaneous coffee dates that turn into deep discussions about the mysteries of life are what make my life worth living.
To the rest of you, allow me to give you just a little taste of the topics we covered over the best lattes in Fremont. Forgive me, because I am about to get Meyers-Briggs-y on you.
Last time we took the Meyers test, Linds and I both fell into what they call the ISFJ category. Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging. Without explaining the entire theory behind the test, suffice it to say that ISFJs tend to think logically, literally and concretely. At the same time, we are sensitive to our own feelings and the feelings of others, making us "nurturers." ISFJs (and Linds, this may describe me more than you here) tend to crave one things above all else: security.
Not only do I crave it, I live and breath it. I cannot function apart from it. I think and speak and act based on what I accept to be true, unchanging, stable, secure. I give the most value to relationships that are most stable: family, close friends, significant other. I take their presence in my life as a given. I work tirelessly to instill a sense of security in other relationships, constantly initiating coffee dates or doing favors for people.
But the truth about life is that nothing is totally secure. Families change shape. Friendships come and go. Our idea of Truth can even change the more we learn. These things are ok. Healthy. Good. Not, as I sometimes choose to believe, completely catastrophic.
I am thankful for you, Lindsey. I don't just love you because you are a steadfast friend, but because you remind me that, no matter what's around the corner, life is beautiful now. Transitory, unstable, insecure, terrifying, and so so beautiful.
I think I better take the Meyers Briggs again, because I may have just become an INFP...
Love,
Stacey