regarding mining

the busier i am the more i find myself enjoying things.

even the simplest things. a breeze, a hot, delicious cup of coffee. a nap. working as much as i have been, laying on the couch and drifting off has never been such a valuable commodity.

and i love it. i love coming home and being exhausted, i love coming from work and being stressed and working hard, i love planning out free time so i can make use of it. this is the perfect environment for me, this work work work work. it feels good, right, comfortable.

and never before have i valued my friends understanding so much. with work, i am stressed. i come home from a long day of dealing with people's complaints, and researching, and consulting on projects, and i get home and the people there understand that i need time to relax and not think. for half an hour, they let me have my peace to stop thinking about the projects i've spent the day on.

and it reminds me of how incredible people can be. of how they can pick up on subtle cues, on thoughts, even when no one articulates them. of how a sigh can mean so much more, a yawn can be indicitive of an extreme emotion, silence can speak volumes. and we pick up and interpret these actions, and more often than not can realize their deeper meaning.

we all rely on people. some more than others, and a lot of the time for different things. but i am finding the simplest things can mean the most. a smile, a simple "have a good day", relinquishing the remote for a half an hour so someone can veg out.

i sometimes forget how significant the people around me are to my overall self. as a favourite writer once wrote, people are "the combined efforts of everyone [they] know". and it's true.

friends can be rocks.
and not just in the "granite" sense of the word.

i have people in my life who constantly support me. unflinchingly, unquestioningly, in a "who do you need killed" sort of way. friends who would rage and fight for me, friend who would hold me while i screamed and kicked at them to let me go. but i also have friends who would perform random acts of intense caring, who would pick me up on a hot day so i don't die riding my bike home. friends who will get me a glass of water when they see me melting in the soaring heat. i have friends who will quietly sit next to me, just being there so i'm not alone.

my point is, friends are just like people. only more special. just because someone is not loud in their friendship does not mean they are any less important. just because a friend is calm and only there when you need them to be, does not make that person any less there. part of being a human is being unique, and being a better you than anyone else could be. and never have i valued that people will care in the way they see best, that people will be there for you in their own personal way, as i do in times of exhaustion.

i guess i'm trying to thank you. all of you. for the quiet company, the angry words, the rants on my behalf. for the hug when i needed it, and the unasked for icecream sandwhich. for a ride in the heat, for a laugh amidst the tears. thank you for all being exactly who you are.

pretty special people.