I'm still reeling from the shock. Caroline, Sarah, Allison and I went out to lunch today and Sarah gave me - gave me! - an iPod mini. A shiny green one, because green is my favourite colour. People don't do things like that anymore. And it didn't have to be an iPod, it could have been a pair of socks and I still would have been surprised and moved. Because Sarah is kind of a rarity, the kind of person you always hope you'll meet multiple versions of in the course of your life. She's caring and she gives on a personal level. Despite my whining and self-absorbed speeches, she and Caroline have, in their individual ways, been living through the ups and downs of my summer, just when I needed friends to be around. I've written about them before. But putting aside the iPod (very hard to do, it's so gloriously green and she even had an inscription made on the back), I just feel a really deep gratitude for the unspoken kindness, for all our intense talks, for them being themselves. I am lucky for these beloved friends.