"You Got to Have Friends"
You Pick Your Friends
I'm big on friends. I value them almost as much as family. Your family didn't choose you... they love you. Your friends, on the other hand, have made the choice. It has always deeply flattered me that a friend will, out of all the things he or she could be doing, choose to be with me. I've always treasured this act of generosity and will never take it for granted.
The Bohemians
You would think, from the above paragraph, that I've never had a lot of friends, and you'd be right. I've never been one to have a lot of friends, but I've always had a small circle of close friends. I have friendships that go back as far as 40 years, and some that are just a few years old. Because I'm a musician, 99% of my friends are artistic types. Fellow musicians, dancers, actors, sculptors, painters, models, poets, etc. Artistans tend to gravitate to fellow artistes. Nobody else really understands us ...or can tolerate us - one of the two. Some of my artiste friends are true bohemians; Aloof and unconcerned. But underneath all that facade they are terribly passionate, fiercely loyal and easily broken. I love them all.
Man's Best Friend
Then, of course, there's your dog. Is there anything like the love of a dog? The ex-wife and I had some very good relationships with our cats, but it was nothing like a dog. You can see it in the dog's eyes. He or she wants nothing more in the world than to be with you. Doesn't matter what you're doing either. Watching TV, walking around, jogging, playing in the yard. Every moment spent with you is fulfilling that dog's sole wish. It's amazing, and all too often taken for granted.
Co-Worker Friends
Stephen King wrote, "Friends come in and out of our lives like busboys at a restaurant." This is often true of the co-worker friend. The dynamic is very different from that of the regular, real, friend. We enjoy working together and have mutual respect for one another, but we don't hang out together outside of work. Yet, I consider them friends. Not in the same sense as my old friends, but still, friends.
Cyber Friends
Now I have a new type of friend; my fellow bloggers. My cyber friends. These are the fellow writers I look forward to hearing from and enjoy reading what they have to say. I don't know what some of them look like and will probably never meet them face to face - very few even live in the same state I do, but there's a connection. You know?
I am fascinated by this new type of "friendship." Certainly it can never take the place of the face to face, go out drinking and shooting pool with your buddy, traditional friendship, but I value it, none the less.
Perhaps if we were all independently wealthy and didn't have the responsibilities of everyday life we could make regular trips to visit one another, but we're not and we do, so we'll make do with our long-distance, pen pal relationship and enjoy it for what it is: a connection with another human being in a land far, far away... or across state.
