Defining Moment: When Existence Is Redefined — Vol.18 Editor’s Note

At the end of the year, I visited an old friend to have a suit tailored for an important acquaintance. He has spent 18 years in the suit industry and now runs his own bespoke tailoring company. He is a trusted friend to whom I myself have entrusted my tailoring for many years.

Back in high school, he and I had a major falling-out and went more than a year without speaking. Looking back, the cause was utterly trivial, but a chance reunion eventually led to our reconciliation.

Since then, we have met every year or two—having suits made, exchanging updates about our lives. In retrospect, although our personalities differ, each of us has led teams in our own way. We have grown into adulthood, and our environments and positions have changed dramatically.

Even so, the fact that we both continue to stand in leadership roles, and that we can still speak candidly with one another—personalities, values, and all—feels like an honor I can now accept with simple gratitude.