::camaraderie

I suppose I would describe my countenance of late as weary.

Perhaps drained.

I've felt oppressed by anxiety, melancholy, physical illness and a general malaise.

Tonight, the heavy cloak was yanked away by a few hours of quality time with my cousin and dearest friend, Heather.



It feels as though I can offer so little in the way of explanation, except to say that she has this uncanny way of extracting all the best bits of me and gently coaxing them to the surface.
The bits that everybody else - myself included - often have such difficulty locating.
The bits that hibernate in seasons like this, concealed and silenced by heavy-handed sorrows.

Sometimes all it takes is an evening with her over dinner at Panera, and I'm a brand new creature, refreshed by the power of a cherished friend.