Eric Dru Longhofer, but nobody knows his first name is Eric. He goes by Dru.
He’s the kind of guy who wears his watch too tight but will notice if you get a new one. In high school, he was president of the student bank and a member of the Trash Team. Not sure what’s up with that.
What I do know is that he’s a little over a year older than I am, and I’d say he’s pretty much my best friend right now.
How I met Dru Longhofer
Every Halloween, my church gives away free hot dogs and coffee and hot chocolate and candy to anyone in the neighborhood. A few years back, Dru was out (riding his skateboard, I think) during the festival and stopped in. But I didn’t really meet him then.
It wasn’t until later when he decided to visit the church for a Thursday evening, Bible study that I actually met him.
I’m not sure how many people have visited the church or even thought much about God as a result of these “Halloween Harvests,” but if Dru’s the only one, it’s been worth it.
Who Dru Longhofer is
- Graphic designer
- Starbucks barista/partner
- My friend
What Dru Longhofer likes
- Photography
- Boiled custard
- Letters
One fact about Dru Longhofer
He lives in Louisville, which has a pretty lousy public transportation system, at least as far as cities go. Still, he’s been carless for – what? – two years now. He bikes all over the city or takes the bus when it’s cold or raining. Brave, dude. He’s bringing a little NYC culture to the mid-west.
One reason I like Dru Longhofer
Deepness. Have I mentioned before how much I like that word? Dru is a pretty good example of it. He’s actually interested in people and interested in understanding them and himself. He loves to listen and think, or at least he fakes it so well he’s totally fooled me.
When we chat, we don’t talk about the weather a whole lot. He’s willing to make himself vulnerable to share what matters to him, which helps others open up. And he has a lot of back story. He’s the kind of character authors try to capture in novels.
One memory I have of Dru Longhofer
One year, Dru and my brothers and I took a trip to the Smokey Mountains. We planned to stay one night, sleeping in the van, and then hike up a couple mountains early the next morning. We wanted to catch the sunrise from the peaks.
Anyway, we arrive in Gatlinburg Monday afternoon. We figure we’ll walk through the town and goof off until it’s time to try to get some sleep. So we park on the side of town closest the mountains and head out to seek our fortunes.
Not two blocks into town, Dru breaks some news to us: his calf muscles are stiff. Really? Why? Well, he had jogged all over Louisville for no real reason two days before the trip.
Classic Dru. That was the beginning of a long, amazing 33 hours. He hung in there better than I would have.
Dru Longhofer in one word
Ideal.
