Over the past 18 years life has woven a beautiful friendship rooted in the adventure era of my life. It’s a rare breed of friendship consisting of contemplating goodness, God, and the core nature of man a time or two a year-if we’re lucky.

The beauty of maturing together, of views growing through life experience, is that the updated rigorous spiritual discussion steeps until the next reunion. It’s the friendliest check-in on my core; conversations that have left me contemplating the depth of my beliefs and convictions; it’s a rare person that can sustain phil-theo-socio conversation without checking out of sheer boredom. But friendship is more than cogitating ideas.

Dearly, when my world is imploding, I can hear the kind words of this friend and feel strength to try a new approach, to not be so hard on myself, to not take myself so seriously; the power of knowing someone believes you are capable is incredible. Often the only encouragement needed to press on is a glimpse of our past; a window into the best parts of who we were and still are.

Heart Check: Friends influence your thoughts….what thumbprint are your friends leaving on your life? What print are you leaving on theirs?