Shapes; Friends

Meet my friend, the Pentagon. He is authentic. A little bit daring. He’s mature beyond his years with just a touch of fun irresponsibility. He is an oracle of level-headed advice. The Pentagon is a well of taste and he has excellent opinions about everything. He has a clone of my sense of humor; the Pentagon and I operate on the same wavelength. This is the shape of a confidant, a lifelong friend. He would probably help me bury a body.

This is the Heart. She shares all of herself with everyone she meets. She spends the gift of her considerable energy on the many people in her life. You don’t enter her life and leave unaffected. She is unconditional in every regard. The Heart is rare—you may only meet a shape like this once in your lifetime.

Next is the Octagon. He’s cheesy, easily distracted, reliably kind, and probably a sociopath. He is instinctively a father first, so you should expect to find a new paternal presence in your life. He is a fierce advocate, and a little bit Machiavellian. But the Octagon is on your side—and he makes an easy friend.

Here is the Oval. She is as reliable as a metronome, with an endearing sense of self-aware humor. She is loyal—and a pushover. The Oval is a treasure. If you find her as a friend, don’t take her for granted. She will be a bedrock in your life.

Meet the Rhombus. He’s a strange combination of opposites. He has so much enthusiasm for everything it’s hard to believe he’s not just doing a lot of coke. He’s a deep, urgent thinker. Questions of philosophy bother him, and he reads from a wild cross-section of non-fiction. The Rhombus loves the intellectual thrill of the hunt. But outside of this world, he often finds emotions a real challenge. The Rhombus is more than meets the eye.

Enter the Triangle. She is spiky, all edges, intense, and tortured. She is a dress covered head to toe in Vantablack sequins. Conversations with her are jet-fueled and run non-stop for hours. There is no earthly thrill like having an argument with the Triangle. She is practically a recluse—she treats most people like virtual strangers, with little gracious warmth, so being her friend is a rare honor. The Triangle is something to be discovered. And she is a real investment of energy. She is not at first the trusting type, but you will find something surprisingly kind and warm inside a hard outer shell. If you’re lucky.