The Unexpected Rough-Weather Friend

I dug out my yard-working shoes. I’m on year three for this pair:

I’m surprised this pair has held up. They’re really cheap. They have kind of a plastic feel to them. But for some reason, they refuse to crack. The soles are still stuck on tight. It’s become a bit of an experiment now—I’m curious how many years I can squeeze out of them.

I have a few friendships like these old shoes—faces that are still in my life, decades later, that I never would have bet on back when we met. And others that I would have sworn would have stood the test of time that are long gone, the bond between us cracked in two.

I don’t think I’m alone in this. I’m pretty sure we’ve all been surprised at who actually shows up when times get hard.

The same, I think, should also be true of our characters—showing up during a time of trouble would be a great way to build a truly likable character, one readers would immediately find endearing.

Because readers would have had the experience of the unexpected rough-weather friend themselves.