Give as Good as We Get

In a cherished friendship, I fear I got so much more than I gave.  I got boats, a teacher, spectacular afternoons, Leonard Cohen, a basin shaped like a lollipop.  I got weird, off-the-beaten-path books I had never heard of - I got a feast of snakes.  Joyous admiration for a very quirky humor.  I got a hummingbird, an egret and a painted bunting.  Saw craters on the moon.  Jurgensen field.  Swimming in the ocean off an undeveloped island.  Riding waves with someone who can do it better than I can.  Learned to like beer.  I got the certainty of loving and being loved.  I got all this.  I swiped a nautical chart.

I worry that the value of what I gave falls short.  Note to self - be a better friend.

Oh, I forgot the best - I got a pipe that glows in the dark.  Takes you back.

Photo courtesy of an un-friend.