Soul Friends

So I volunteered to help secure speakers for this year's PRSA Southwest District Conference. I emailed "my" speakers back and forth for months, and I met both of them in person for the first time yesterday at a reception. And I met a "soul friend."

You know those times when you meet someone and the more and more you talk to them, you begin to realize that you and this person have a true, authentic soul connection. Not just an "oh yeah, he's sweet" casual acquaintance type of thing, but a thing when all things come together and you realize that this person that you just met will be a friend. I like to call these people "soul friends."

It is not an easy thing to be my friend...no, not because I'm difficult or hard to get along with (although we all have our days, don't we), but because I am extremely selective about who I call my friend. I take that term very seriously, and I don't bestow it upon just anyone. I say all this to say that for me, this "soul friend" phenomenon that I speak of is truly remarkable, and as the very definition of the word phenomenon suggests, very rare.

Now a "soul friend" should not be confused with a "soulmate." I'm one of those romantic saps that actually buys into the whole soulmate thing, so I feel the need to discern between the two terms. A soulmate, by my completely unscientific definition, is that ONE person that your soul and your heart and your mind fits. I'm not saying that this soulmate will "complete" you, but rather complement you and bring out your best self. I see a true soulmate as the love of your life, and the one person that you were destined to be with for all time. I know, you just threw up in your mouth a little bit, but I don't care. I'm allowed to be a hopeless romantic.

A "soul friend" on the other hand is a person with whom you share "soul qualities." These can be a sharing of core values, a sharing of emotional intelligence. Evidences of a soul friend include, but are not limited to: extreme ease of conversation, ability to reach inside the other person and bring out a smile from the inside, comfort and trust. These very rare and priceless gifts should be treated as just that, a gift from God.

So, to my newest "soul friend," I wish nothing more than the absolute best this world has for you. I trust that we will remain friends, and I trust that you will accomplish remarkable things. Although I think you might need to trim the beard before this takes place...I'm just sayin'.