21. Emily D

My friend Emily is currently eight-and-a-half months pregnant. She still shows off a cute figure, but I know that those extra twenty-two pounds are taking a toll. Cap off the situation with a blazing North Carolina summer that's leaving everyone in a permanent wilt and I'd say she has a blank check for complaining. Nonetheless, she isn't.

A survivor, Emily is juggling several large balls in the air, these being a well-progressed pregnancy, selling the house her husband is building, writing said house as its realtor, doing the accounting for the family business, and raising a two year old with a mission to destroy planet Earth before bedtime. Occasionally I'll get a call from her and she'll say, almost laughing, "Hannah, can I tell you what happened today? I'm actually going crazy, you may have to commit me before the baby comes."

Truth be told, the stories she has to vent are usually pretty hilarious and so I rarely begrudge the call. There is almost never a time when I feel the need to say, "Emily, you are being irrational," because she really is not an irrational person. Usually I end up sympathizing with her and planning how to console her the next day. This, however, is what I love about Emily: there is no need for consolation the next day. She is the most resilient woman I have ever met. If I call the next day to check on her stress level, she will calmly and laughingly reply, "Oh, I'm okay now. I just needed to vent yesterday."

At this point I raise my eyebrows on the other end of the line because I know that I would not be okay at that point. I would still be shelling out complaints, but Emily just doesn't see the point. It's inspirational. Sometimes when I am frustrated with someone I'll think of Emily and her ability to shrug things off, disallow a grudge when reconciliation or simply forgetting is an option, and I'll channel my own resiliency to mirror hers.

Every time I see Emily I am impressed by her ability to pull it all together. She'll walk into my house loaded down with a diaper bag and a toddler on her hip and, these days, a belly to boot, and yet she still looks fresh and lovely. Her hair falls from her swooped back ponytail in light wisps. It frames her high cheekbones and perfect little nose, lighting around sparkly eyes. It's hard to accept compliments at the end of pregnancy, so I just think to myself how pretty she looks. I think how pretty, and how strong she is. Though a gentle friend and a patient wife and mother, Emily has an astounding amount of fortitude. Behind her picturesque features is a fighter, and a humble one at that.