I don’t fully remember exactly how Rekha and I became friends – it was a gradual process through which she changed from someone I admired from afar to someone I admired from a lot closer up.

I do know that she made it happen – I am kind of crap at making new friends, although it’s something I continue to work on. I have always been SUPER shy, although now, after decades of practice, I can do a pretty good impersonation of a not-shy person. To the extent that people who’ve known me for a shorter time  are often surprised to hear that I’m an introvert. (It’s because I now talk too much, to compensate. Middle ground, very elusive!) But the place where my shyness especially still lingers  is in forming new friendships.

Anyway! This post is about Rekha, not my neurosis. The point is, she put in some legwork and started inviting me to stuff, and over to her house, and for walks, and before I knew it we were friends. Rekha is the kind of person who puts herself out there. People like that are kind of scarce.