A pod of two or three students gather in the slush and snow.
Their breath entwines with cigarette smoke and chilled air and creates a man-made storm cloud. They scowl at the morning cold.
They are waiting, for the friend in soggy sneakers to join them. Then the friend who forgot their gloves, and eventually the friend who always has some extra smokes to share.
One by one, the pod of adolescents grows bigger, smokier, and louder. Laughter bounces off the huddle as they shake head to toe with the punch line of the newest joke.
The group's grumpiness seems to melt away, with the addition of each friend trudging through snow drifts to join the almost mob.
As snowflakes pile up on their eyelashes and scatter on the ground around them, they are content because they are all together in one place. They make a circle, complete now because not even one teen with snow soaked pants is missing.
They are the many, that make themselves one huddle against the cold.
They are one.
T.L. Eastman 09'
There are two kinds of friends in the world: Sunny day friends and rainy day friends. This is a statement that my Mom used to remind me of when I was in the midst of drama or conflict with one school friend of another. There are lots of people that we define as friends, but they are really acquaintances. Two men were out hunting in the northern U.S. Suddenly one yelled and the other looked up to see a grizzly charging them. The first started to frantically put on his tennis shoes and his friend anxiously asked, "What are you doing? Don't you know you can't outrun a grizzly bear?" "I don't have to outrun a grizzly. I just have to outrun you!" This story is funny, but it does help define the distinct difference between a rainy day friend and a sunny day friend. The sunny-day-friend is more concerned with watching out for their own health and wellness, than their friends' wellbeing. On the other hand, a rainy day friend is willing to take risks, work fo...
Comments