New Friend

Life is lived in the space of a moment. Moments captured in the early light flickering on the morning’s waning frost or marked as soft as the skin on an infant or in the wonder of a new mother whose first child tightly grasps her finger. Moments frozen in time and forever undimmed by age or memory. In these moments, marriage proposals are accepted and secret first kisses are shared.
Moments are also marked in a series of cataclysmic events punctuated by car accidents, job losses, illness or divorce. In the brevity of time, children are born, people die and life propels its inhabitants forward into the vast unknown or backwards into abysses of regret.
Yet, we are not just shaped by defining moments – we define moments by embracing the fleeting seconds that are not seen by the eye but felt in the heart. The seemingly inconsequential times that take up the bulk of a day with regularity and normalcy. Moments that have space and place as solid yet as fleeting as a stray autumn leaf floating on the breath of the wind - mundane and trivialized by some but felt by others. These are the moments in which life is lived.
A few days ago, I had lunch with someone, and as we ate, we discovered similar experiences, common pasts and shared opportunities. How did she go from acquaintance to new friend? Was it over shared burgers or the exchange of email and traded favors?
I believe it happened in that space of time, crossing the room, conquering fear. It happened when I took control of the moment and reached out to another person. I spoke as time and heart raced ahead on the swiftest of feet yet as conscious thought froze.
When unchartered territories confront us and destinies are shaped in ways unimagined, these are the moments we define. I am fortunate to have crossed paths with this acquaintance and seized the moment to invite her as friend.