I’m cooking mushrooms tonight.
Scott said, “Always use a little balsamic vinegar when you cook mushrooms.”
I was in high school, waiting in his kitchen for Jules to get ready, when he told me that.

Fungi become larger by the elongation of their hyphal tips. People are made of bones and organs and blood. Fungi are made of hyphae. When they grow, fungi stretch.
When physical maturity is reached, people begin to mature personally, developing and growing into who they are. This push and pull of personal growth usually has two spurts: first at adolescence and again at middle age.
Part of what drives a mid-life crisis is the desire for authenticity, to be one’s self, one’s whole self, and to no longer be held back by stereotypes or other people’s expectations. People facing the second half of their lives typically begin seeking wholeness, exercising the parts of themselves that have long been dormant, and letting the overused parts rest. They want to feel like the skin they’ve been wearing their whole lives finally fits.
Friendships are the driving force behind growth and risk in adolescence. A young person’s character emerges from this complex interplay of potential harm and support. Adolescence is a time during which identity formation is the all-consuming task. Close relationships often play a significant role in protecting teenagers against the damaging effects of stress while growing into themselves.

His red jeep was parked at the edge of the road overlooking the forested cliff that scampered down to the bay. The sun hung low in the magenta sky. My first day of college was a month away and my best friend’s step-dad, Scott, seemed to be the only one who shared my enthusiasm.