My Dear Friend

I have a friend...

Her life is rooted and grounded, yet she dances and sings about life with a buoyancy,

that will make you wonder.

She likes to take long walks in silence,

and share the pleasure of nature and the beauty of creation together.

Yet when she does engage in a conversation with you, she doesn't mince her words.

When she's listening, her eyes are soft and intent on you.

She's as sharp as a whip and can out-debate you,

but prefers to say a million things in a few words.

She respects space and values distance,

things that have become violated by modern transport and social media.

She's mastered the art of an unhurried life,

and rarely loses her patience, except for wasteful chatter,

that unnecessarily fills space.

The spring of life that comes from within,

is a certainty of conviction and a knowledge of truth,

which she lives aligned to.

Her joy is contagious,

it comes forth even amidst hardship and suffering.

She understands that joy comes and goes, something she's distinguished from happiness and pleasure, but her hope is steady.

Her laugh is gutteral and sometimes sudden,

and often directed at herself.

She only has a few friends,

and doesn't understand why people would seek out more friends than they have time for.

Her faith and love are her breastplate.

Her hope is her salvation.