Last night I waxed off half of my left eyebrow. I do this, accidentally about once a year. I get out the hot wax believing this time it will be different, this time I'll make my brows arch with perfection but I always really mess them up.
After drawing one of my brows back in I began to laugh. I laughed because it looked funny but mostly out of joy. I laughed because I was on my way to have drinks with some old friends and I knew they wouldn't care. I could have waxed off both brows and we all would have laughed about it and had a good time happy to be in each others presence.
Whenever I reconnect with an old friend there is pressure to present my very best self. I try to plan out the prefect outfit, prepare my hair, and discuss all the ways I've become a better person since we last saw each other. I believe we all do this. But the magic of seeing an old friend is not proving the major changes we've made. It's the awareness that we've survived each other. I believe friendship is an act of endurance and faith. We endure betrayal, humiliation, jealousy, misunderstanding, and rejection. We endure these things because we have faith in each others abilities to be better people. A friend helps you to be your best and is there when you are at your worst. We as humans maintain friendships because we need each other. We need someone to remind us that all the things we are trying to hide or improve about ourselves are not so bad. I love my friends and look up to them, they inspire me. It's very affirming to be around people that have surmounted similar challenges, and are still standing firm, perhaps missing an eyebrow but there none the less.
