Connecting - Friends

Sometimes life comes at you like a boxer in the ring. No matter which corner you’re in, you get a face full of glove and a bloody nose. You’re grabbed and held, taking shots to the kidney. Your stomach threatens to rebel as one, two, three blows hit in rapid succession. Before you can catch your breath, you’re on the ropes, struggling to stay on your feet. Before you can do that, you lose your grip and hit the canvas.

You lie there, for a moment, with the sounds ringing in your ears, the light glaring in your eyes. The screaming crowd, some yelling at you, some yelling for you. The ringing bell telling you and everyone else the fight is over, and you have lost. But there are other voices, now.

Those voices are your friends. Their hands take yours, lifting you up. A friend’s voice soothes as you feel a towel wipe the blood from your face. A friend’s voice encourages as you get to your feet. A friend’s voice cheers as you realize you did your best.

For most of my life, it’s been the connections I’ve had with people that have kept me going in tough times. Especially friends. Friends who listen when you just have to get something off your chest. Friends who smile with understanding, because they’ve been where you are now. Friends who listen with wide eyes, because they don’t understand, but only know they care.

Friends you can plumb the depths of your soul with, plumb the depths of despair with, come up for air with, and share time in the sun. Friends with whom you can waste your time, get out of line, and come back to your senses, together.

Friends who’ll call you out when you’re fooling yourself, or trying to fool someone else. Friends who’ll let you be yourself when you know that’s exactly who you want to be. Friends who know you and like what they see. Friends who believe you can be whatever you want to be. Friends who you can admire, and who can admire you. Friends for whom you’d do anything, and you know they’d be there for you.

So I could tell them what pains me deep in my heart. I could drag it out into the light, so we could look at it together and see how small and dark and insignificant it really is, compared to the big world around us. We could talk it out of existence, or laugh it out of existence, or just share knowing it is there but not letting it grow and take hold anywhere but right out there where it is now.

I could share those moments, you know, those moments when you realize something important and you need to tell someone, and your co-workers are there, and they might be interested, or just polite, but you need your friends. They will be amazed and grateful for what you’ve learned, and just glad to have a friend like you.

And who wouldn’t like a friend like you?

-Ken