Friends are kinda like good art and music and stuff.

I love when I'm experiencing artistic expression - getting completely lost in patterns, rhythms, expectations and predictability - and then the anomaly happens. The variant. The surprise.

Like when you're listening to a song you've never heard before and you can sing along the first time. But then you find yourself surprised by a dissonant note.

A key change.

A bridge.

It's clashing colors.

An accessory that pops.

A lyric that doesn't rhyme.

It's the juxtaposition of styles and genres.

Like the first time you notice color in a black and white photograph.

Or an object protruding from a painting.

It's mixed media.

The essence of jazz.

And improv.

Pure comedy.

Twisting plots.

Interesting character flaws.

It's when I know I love a friend.

When I'm getting lost in their patterns, habits, predictability, loyalty.

And then they surprise me. Share a new layer of themselves. A fascinating story. An unusual hobby. A simple, unexpected gesture.


Here's to the friends and family who surprise us daily.