Andrea is one of my closest friends. I've known her for a decade now.
Andrea and I have many things in common. We're both ageplayers, switches, educators, advocates, and thinky people. She's one of the kindest, most giving people I know.
We also are almost spiritually, philosophically identical. She's had an interest in eastern spiritualities and philosophies since I've known her. I'm not sure she'd call herself a Taoist, or maybe more of a Buddhist. She's fascinated with Quan-yin, the bodhisattva of compassion.
See how awesome she is?
My friendship with Andrea is perennial and evergreen. Sometimes we go months without speaking, only to magically reconnect seemingly at random, and feel the same strong, connecting love & affection we always do.
The funny, almost spooky thing that happens to us periodically is that we seem to call or reach out to one another in times of need or unhappiness to lovingly call one another on our mutual shit.
We even have a term/phrase for this. "How's that working for you?" Just today Andrea texted me and we got on the phone. I was describing to her my recent dissatisfaction with myself at my lack of meaningful progress on getting back in shape, and letting a side project of mine languish. She pointed out to me, good-naturedly, how what I chalk up to "being rather hard on myself", I would consider abusive, if it came from someone else.
Similarly, I pointed out to her that an expectation of mistreatment she had which hadn't come to pass was her mistreating herself.
Kind of the same issue, right? Go ahead, say it with us,
"How's that working for you?"
We had a good laugh together about it.
I'm so very grateful for Andrea. She makes my life better.