Hannah and I met when we were working at a bakery together last summer. At just 18, boy did this girl have a lot to teach me. Our friendship bloomed over watching muffins rise and fall in a faulty oven, scrubbing public toilets and trying to find the humor our otherwise exhausting situation. Thankfully, handfuls of generous tourists — mostly foreign — kept us in stitches, between making lattes and sandwiches, with their stories and observations of American life.
Working at that bakery taught me a bucketful about humanity. And that I never want to have to clean public toilets for an hourly wage again. Ever.
Hannah wisely began college last fall at a prestigious university. We kept in touch via email, with the occasional dinner when possible. As an only child, her eyes were wide open to campus life.
As an oldest child and the first to head off to college, oh — how I could relate. What’s resulted is a sweet friendship, never mind the decade-plus in between. A friendship I simply cherish. I find myself leaving our dinners thinking about the wisdom she’s shared. Her world view. Her faith. Her smarts.
A new friendship I very much cherish. Lucky to have Hannah in my life.
~K