There are times when I'll stop and look at someone who I've known for a long time and suddenly it's like I'm seeing them for the first time. Like they are strangers. But familiar strangers. Friendly familiar strangers.
Sometimes something happens and you suddenly see someone in a light that you never had before. Maybe it's good. Hopefully it's not bad. For me, at least, it's never too shocking so much as it is just surreal. Maybe someone who was very straight laced suddenly cuts loose. Perhaps, it's the jokester that suddenly is having serious conversations with you. Conversely, it might be someone you trusted no longer being in your close confidence.
Mark and I had dinner with some good friends of mine. I've known them for years. I'm more friends with Z than J. Only because I worked with Z for years. There was one point in the evening that I looked at J as he was discussing something very grown-up. Very deep. It was right then that I saw him as more than the Good Times Guy that I'd known him as. Here he is talking about education and kids. In between asking us if we wanted another beer. So... it wasn't a 'total' change.
It was a great evening. It was just very interesting to me as a student of human nature to see the natural progression (evolution?) of someone.Labels: friends, introspective |
