Friends Are Friends Forever : Kyle

Friendships evolve in the most interesting ways, and my friendship with Kyle is no exception.  About 20 years ago, I had a project and truly liked the client team.  I offered to take the team to Chinatown for dinner and met my client’s boyfriend, Kyle.  After this dinner, my husband, Scott, Kiana and I would meet  Kyle and his now-ex for dinners and we grew to be good friends.  We’ve traveled to Hawaii and Napa together, and make it a point to spend time and share our current concerns, wins, and future dreams and hopes.  My favorite thing is that we plan Kyle & Karen days where we meet up, eat, drink, talk, and laugh.  Everything is on the table.  My friendship with Kyle is one of the most cherished things I have, and so I’d like to tell you a few things that Kyle does that inspires me.

1. Kyle is up for anything: If you want to try a new restaurant, explore a new venue, or just chill out, Kyle is IN.  He appreciates the privilege of your time and loves new experiences.  I am amazed at his travels to Vietnam, Myanmar, Mexico via motorcycle, Brazil and India, to name a few places.  He does his research, he can go alone or with others, and he absorbs every adventure.  There are so many people that like going back to the same place with the same comforts, but Kyle makes me want to explore the world (and even our city of Chicago) and create great memories.
   
2. Kyle has the best attention to detail: You know the person who remembers your cousin’s husband’s name and the details of where they are vacationing? That’s Kyle.  He addresses you by name when he sees you, and he will ask you about details from previous conversations and social media posts.  He is very complimentary with his comments that are personal and meaningful.  He teaches me that small talk is necessary, but listening and understanding others is very important.
   
3. Kyle is striving to be his best self: We talk a lot about pain points and blockages in our life path, and we celebrate the wins and the things that make us happy.  And Kyle has us resolve to learn, take action, and then reflect.  He brings about perspectives that I hadn’t even thought about and even captures them into some of the items that he is working on.  I love that Kyle shows me that we need to keep on learning and growing because there’s always more out there to make us better people.

One of the reasons that I continue to write blogs is because Kyle is my number one supporter.  After he reads it, he texts me the most kind message and how it resonates with him.  There are so many other characteristics that I absolutely adore about him, but let’s leave it that I truly love and care for him and consider him one of my best friends.  Thank you, Kyle, for being such a strong force in my life.