Friends

The importance of friends has been commercially hyped to sell beer; played and overplayed in film and on TV; written endlessly about in books large and small; blogged about; exploited by so-called reality shows; sung about in every genre of music; and generally the source of every form of commentary one can imagine.  Arguably one of the more clever uses is the Facebook tool of "friending" someone, although even this has been commercialized. 

Nevertheless, second to family, friends are the single greatest source of happiness in our lives.

I've often thought and commented that if one has one or two real, very close friends for life, then he/she is "wealthy" beyond words.  I'm fortunate to have two such exceptionally close friends, one for nearly 50 years and one for nearly 30.  One lives in another state.  One lives around the corner.  One I grew up with in the old neighborhood.  One I served with in the Marine Corps.  With one, I walked the hallways of grade school and high school.  With one, I served at Camp Pendleton.  One I ride with on motorcycle road trips.  One I compete with on the tennis courts.  One stood up with me at my wedding.  One stood up for me at my retirement ceremony.  One surprised me at the ceremony marking my retirement from the Marine Corps.  I surprised one at both his 40th and 60th birthdays.  With one I chased girls in high school.  With one I was ready to lay down my life for my country.  With both I laugh.  With both I've shared my innermost thoughts.  With both I've shed tears at the loss of parents.  With both I've watched our children and grandchildren grow.  With both I've shared special moments of humor and humility.  For both I've worried as they faced life threatening health issues.  With both, our wives have put up with our continuing juvenile humor, even in our 60s.  With both I've grown gray.  With both I've discussed entering retirement.  With both I've discussed how crushed I'd be without my wife.  On both I've leaned when times were tough.  From both I've had support, no matter when or where.  For both, I'd be there, no matter when or where. 

These are the men who know me best, because they've seen me at the highest of highs and lowest of lows.  Even when separated by oceans and thousands of miles of American landscape, I've been connected with these men.  The ties are unbreakable.  The bonds built on the unique, distinct, and unassailable relationship that defines friendship.  As someone once said, we love our closest friends "in spite of" our human failings.  Lord knows these gents provide a wide exception for me. 

So when thinking of all the elements of our lives that come together to define our happiness, apart from family, friendship is the most important.  Not the friendship the media or Hollywood would have us believe, but the real, in your gut, no BS friendship that develops, expands, and endures over decades.

This is wealth, real wealth.