Friendship

Friendship is an exceptional part of most of us in some way or another. As a matter of fact, many people have much stronger, lifetime friendships than their marriages or relationships with their family members. In my case, I simply have a small, rather select, close knit group of friends going back as far as 62 years. I am so much a better person for our lasting friendships and I am grateful.

Friendships, I am told are based upon some sort of mutual need. For what I am not exactly sure but, according to that theory at least if there isn't some sort of give and take of benefit, there is no friendship. When I am interacting with a friend I cannot remember when I had a huge agenda of receiving benefit so it must be subliminal. After all these years I just figure: "Whatever!"

Last weekend I spent some time with a friend watching some of the race, grilling and eating steaks, shooting some bull, checking out some of his remodeling projects and watching a movie. Nothing earth shattering by any means but exactly what the doctor ordered at the time. Renewing and revitalizing a long standing friendship. Friends can argue and disagree and get a bit huffy or offended, but in a friendship, after all that is over they are still standing there and ready to move forward. Honesty backed by loyalty is the stuff of true friendships I think.

And, one important, but the only important factor of a solid friendship is  being there through thick and thin without question, through the best of their ability. It does not mean that everyone can do everything, no not at all. It simply means we do the best we can at the time with what time and resources we have and each of us understands one another's limitations.

I'm just saying that without my friends I would not be who I am today as a father, a brother, a husband and a grandfather. I wonder if there is a national friendship day?