Connected

We all know that some of the very best things in life come as a complete surprise. When you are blind sided by their occurrence, it feels as though the possibility of faith, magic even, are completely possible. Most of all it feels as though you have done something right to deserve to have come across something so wonderful. This is how I feel about many of the incredible friendships I have made in the last couple of years, and in particular my friendship with M.

The first time I met M was when we were squished in the back seat of a mutual friends pick up truck heading to the mountain. As a fellow snowboarder on a mission to find some powder, there was an immediate sense of kinship. However, I knew right away that there was something different about M. Maybe the fact that she was "busting my balls (if I had any)" within five minutes of conversing gave it away. Or perhaps it was the wry little smile that snuck out of the corner of her mouth as she spit out negs like it was an old trick. "Who is this girl?!", I remember thinking.

That same car ride quickly turned into a memorable adventure, as the thick dark of night came bundled with a crazy blizzard. Furiously working windshield wipers could only give our awesome driver mere seconds of visibility. Upon arrival we all piled into a hotel room, slept for a few hours, and then rushed to get out to the mountain. The snow - still plowing down. In the end, 20 inches of puffy powder...on the East Coast. It ended up being one of the best days of my life so far. A day of incredible snowboarding and the opportunity to get to know M. Secrets, crushes, and life dreams; by the end of the day a history together was about the only thing we hadn't shared.

As it turns out, that first encounter was a pretty good example of how our friendship would play out, based completely from random and spontaneous events (usually involving something you can ride, lots of beer, and belly laughs). And even though I don't see her often, a visit with M is so full of quality that I consider her to be one of my greatest friends. I've never felt the need to throw up my usual feel-someone-out-filter around her; she and I connect effortlessly. She spreads infectious joy to all, she makes every day an adventure, and she inspires me like no other person I've ever met. And no M doesn't stand for Muse - but, ha, maybe it should.

Surprises like an amazing friendship come when you take chances, when you are willing to put yourself into unfamiliar situations, and when you approach the world with an open mind and heart.