This is post nineteen in the Best of 2009 Blog Challenge. Read them all!

There are people that you immediately distrust. They send up a red flag before a word escapes their mouth and you just know that they're not a person you want to be around at that moment. This is about the exact opposite of that person. I had just returned from Montana and was about to embark on meeting this year's round of teacher trainees when Susie, a regular at the studio, but not one I had talked to frequently, asked if I want to go to the beach with her.

She was in teacher training, so I knew that if she murdered me people would at least know who I had been with, and I decided the beach was worth the gamble. We left early morning a few days before the Fourth of July. I figured if we didn't get along we could both just practice meditating for a few days and forget the conversation thing all together. It was only a few minutes before I was raiding her ipod to see what she had and I realized...we are going to be BEST friends. It's was all there in one album, significant and irreverent, the soundtrack to RENT.

Everybody knows the signature song Seasons of Love, so I played a lesser mainstream track to determine her level of fandom. As the intro tunes started up she looked at me, then started belting out every, single, word! It was instant recognition between the two of us. We knew each other's histories, past relationships, family and friends. We knew what each of us liked and hated and we knew that tis weekend was going to be fun. Three days of kayaking, shell hunting, slacklining and sunburn later we made our way back home in time for the 4th fireworks. It kicked off a great summer with all of the other teacher trainees as well. I have never seen a group so committed to making a training good. In the off weekends they would hike and swim together, carrying on the bonds that naturally form during such an intense time.