The blessing of friends and companions

“There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in

a person’s eye when he feels that we have sympathized with him,

understood him, interested ourself in his welfare. At these moments

something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These

moments are the moments worth living.”

-- DON MARQUIS

My husband Jon and I are richly blessed with family and friends.

Our daughters have also blessed us beyond belief. You’ve read about

Kelly and Amy before, and you will again.

Kelly has written a column before, and today you have the treat of

hearing from our younger daughter, Amy, who just graduated from

college. Amy is a friend to many, and I am excited to let her share

one of her most recent adventures with you:

A couple of months ago, my friend and I decided that we wanted to

ride our bikes home from school. Though home is 400 miles away, we

thought it was a great idea and convinced two other friends to join

us. We started the day after graduation and made the trek in five

days.

While we were riding and taking in the sights and smells of the

California coast, I was reminded of a bike trip my family had taken

years ago. Perhaps to take our minds off pedaling, or simply to offer

a point to ponder, my father asked my sister and me to think of ways

that life is like riding a bike. We came up with quite a few: hills

look worse from far away, you cover more miles if you wake up early,

and it is more fun when you eat good food.

This trip, though, reminded me of the analogy that at the time, we

thought was the most fitting: life and riding a bike are both more

fun when done with friends. Over the years, I have noticed that I can

ride much faster and the miles pass by much quicker when I am riding

with a friend.

Our Pacific coast adventure was no exception. We had some hard

days once it turned out we had 83 miles to ride rather than the 55 I

had planned. There were some trying times, such as when we got a

second flat tire 10 yards after fixing the first one. And while one

or two of us may have gotten tired or hungry at times throughout the

trip, there were always others who felt fresh or were happier to take

the lead or carry our bags or otherwise encourage us to keep going.

When we arrived at our destination each night, we were exhausted.

We ate leisurely and then just enjoyed each other’s company until our

early bedtimes. Though little was said because of our fatigue, we

were all encouraged by one another.

And this, I have decided, is how God created us to live. We rarely

have the energy to ride 400 miles alone. But throughout life, God

gives us traveling companions with whom we can share our water, whom

we can draft behind and whose bags we can help carry.

Not only does this make the trip easier, we learn to look for

others’ needs and what we have in our packs that can help make their

time easier.

And you can quote me on that.

* CINDY TRANE CHRISTESON is a Newport Beach resident who speaks

frequently to parenting groups. She may be reached via e-mail at

cindy@onthegrow.com or through the mail at P.O. Box 6140-No. 505,

Newport Beach, CA 92658.