When Sam got angry and walked away from Sadie (his best friend), he thought the world was full of people like her and that she’d easily find her replacement. Over time, Sam met several people with whom he could have 20-minute conversations. But he realized that finding someone he wanted to talk to for more than 600 hours was rare. No one was Sadie.

This scene from Gabrielle Zevin’s Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow really got me thinking. The quality of conversations matters. A LOT.

That’s about 25 straight days of conversation. Imagine that. Who would fall within your 20-minute tolerance threshold? And how would you recognize your Sadie(s)?

From reading it, I could infer three clues:

• Everything feels very natural. Effortless. Balanced. Or, as my friend Estefi would say, “You don’t have to carry the conversation alone.”
• Your Sadie becomes your unconscious point of reference.
• You simply miss them.

That’s why you should protect your Sadie. They’re rare.