Real Friendship

With the exception of sunshine, great sex, oxygen, innocent children, brisket, and a few other things that I have failed to remember, friendship is about the best thing in the world. Friendship is all the more special to me because it is something in which people choose to participate. People chose to show each other love respect and all of the other things that make friendships great.

The last few years have shown me what true friendship is. I have always tried to be the type friend that I wanted to have. I have tried to keep my word and provide unquestioning and unwavering support for those that I call my friends. I have prided myself on my honesty, loyalty, and dependability – all of the good, old-fashioned things that the average Boy Scout is told to believe.

Despite my efforts to display the character traits that I value, a lot of my efforts have gone unappreciated and without reciprocation. To be honest, a lot of people that I thought were friends have left me high and dry without any form of consideration or explanation. In addition, I don’t think that I have ever truly learned how to accept help in a way that is palatable to me or those offering help.

Much of my experience has left me with a sour taste in my mouth. I have come to realize, much to my disappointment, that the average person will let you down in a heartbeat. I don’t think that it is from some ingrained sense of malice. Most people just don’t fully consider the consequences or impact of their actions or inactions. Of course, I could be naïve and full of myself.

Anyway, I am not going to use this post to put people down or drag anyone through the mud. In fact, I am going to do the opposite. A few people have stuck by me through this extremely trying period in my life. They have given me encouragement and talked me down from the edge on a few occasions. I can say without shame or hyperbole that they have helped to save me from myself.

One friend in particular has taken the time to put me in a position where I can begin to reclaim some of my physical life. I can’t begin to describe how good it has felt to be able to do some things for myself without the help or permission of those around me. It’s like fresh, clean air to a man who was suffocating. Without reservation, anything that this person needs is theirs for the asking, up to and including burying bodies.

I hope that anyone who stumbles across my blog can find themselves a few really good friends that can help to pull them through hard time the way my friends have helped me.