I got an email this morning that made my day. It was from a long-lost friend. Well, he isn't really lost, considering I know exactly where he is. But it has been way too LONG since we've seen each other or even emailed.

It's amazing how I can harbor affection for someone I haven't seen in years. Sometimes I just know that there is something special about a particular person, that there's a bond and mutual respect worth hanging onto. And when that is the case, it is remarkably easy to reconnect and step right back into the friendship. I think that's what amazes me most of all.

I've recently come to believe that friendships have logical life cycles. Each of the people I consider a friend brings something different to the table - I've thought about it, and the characteristics I value in each person truly are different from the others. And while I'm not one who believes that everything happens for a reason, I do see that there is purpose behind the friendships we keep and the ways in which we keep them. Some friendships remain steady over time and are ones I depend on, some are too intense to have longevity but they're damn good while they last, and some fade in and out as needed. And I really do think it's as needed. I don't always know what compels me to re-initiate a friendship or what provokes someone to look me up after much time has passed, but I think it's a (perhaps subconscious) reaching out for what that person has to offer. And sometimes it's just the opposite - it's a sense that someone you care about, someone you share a spirit with but maybe haven't seen in awhile, needs you and what you have to offer.

H, my long-lost friend, is the most sincere person I've ever met, the kind of person who truly values the people in his life and uplifts them every way he can. And for me, his timing couldn't have been better.

(And the best part is, he's moving and will be closer to where we are. As in, no longer on the opposite coast but within two hours' driving distance closer. Fuck yeah.)