A thread on friends got me to thinking
I’ve got thousands of acquaintances
They are nice, very nice
A comfort
Nothing heavy, just a luxury, a delight, a sometimes shared commonality
And fill many a void on this often stoic planet
But what is a friend?
What is a true friend?
How many have I really got of those?
Guess I’ve been just as guilty as anyone, the way I flagrantly use that term
Came to this;
A friend is already a true friend
They become friends thru fire and ice, so ‘true’ becomes a given,
just an extra word for what already is
I’d rather shovel shit in a ditch with a friend than dine on fine food in the finest of eateries with anyone else
Why? You ask
Because anyone else will be a tad uncomfortable and too conscious of self, and even you,
wherever you may be
…and will never opt to be in that ditch
Whereas a friend will shovel right alongside
Oh, he may flick a bit on you, and remark that you obviously can’t shovel shit with a shit shovel, but there he’ll be, laughing as hard as you, reveling in what others cannot imagine
Because a friend will be there, has been there, will continue to be….there, no matter where
A friend is of more value than fine gold
More a rare amalgam of steel and grit, as one only becomes a friend from trials by fire
Not just show
As far as how many?
One can have too many, it seems
Not everbody can be ‘there’
It’d get crowded
I have one
It’s plenty
Just reread his email he sent yesterday
Made me smile