Last week a friend of mine was in town from Texas. I hadn't seen him in 14 years. He and I met in the 4th grade. He moved to New Jersey from Texas and was placed in my class at good old School #19. He sat next me. The kid was flat out obnoxious, but he was smart. I wanted to ring his neck in the standard territorial fashion and most of the other kids would have paid to watch since they weren't so fond of him either. After a slight altercation (in Jersey terms a slight altercation means a public MMA fight) between us, our parents made us apologize and we've been friends ever since.
During our 7 year stint living in the same neighborhood we saw a lot of each other. I brought him into my group of friends and they soon welcomed him. When I moved away they all stayed close. We spent many days roaming the tracks, creating mischief, sneaking out in the middle of the night, joyriding cars without a license, and making out with girls. Man, those days were sweet. I moved away in 9th grade and his family relocated to Texas a little more than a year later.
One weekend I came home from boarding school and invited all my friends from the old stomping grounds over my new house. I hadn't seen the guys in a while, so it was kind of a reunion. We had a blast. Not long after, my buddy moved and that was the last time I saw him... until last Monday.
When he came by, we shot the proverbial shit. We picked up right where we left off... Since we last saw each other; he want to College, joined the Marines, and lived all over the world. He'd gone through some serious shit, but hadn't changed a bit. I want to take the opportunity right now to thank that maniac for his service, because without guys like him, we'd be fucked. So we put back a few cold ones and watched some football. A few of my friends stopped by and nobody was uncomfortable. It was as if my new friends all seemed to know him. I guess my unbelievable story telling ability was behind that response. It was just good to see him.
He left a few days later. I may not see him for another 14 years, but it won't matter. If that happens, I'm positive it will be like only a few days have passed, not years. He'll always be welcome in my home. I love keeping friendships up. One of my other buddies from that group of kids in the old neighborhood is still one of my best friends to this day. I see him often, even though we live on separate coasts and we wreak havoc every chance we get.
With FACEBOOK and all this other internet shit out there, you can chat with old friends, new friends and long lost family members constantly. It's great. I love both new and old friends and the ones I no longer see. I love speaking with people who were just a passing face in the courtyard many years ago and beginning a new friendship with them. How awesome is it to be able to talk with a cousin you haven't seen since your COMMUNION 20 years ago? Pretty awesome if you ask me.
You can learn something new from the people around you everyday. So many of them can have an impact on your life, especially when you least expect it. This is why it's important to have a variety of friends. It will make you brighter, happier and more REAL. Staying in your house, hoarding shit, and isolating yourself from the world and all of the wonderful people in it is a HUGE mistake. Sure, there are plenty of BLOWHOLES out there, but if you bump into enough people, you're bound to find at least one you like. I know I sure have.
Oh yeah... And the Jets are my friends too... Go J-E-T-S!!! Jets! Jets! Jets! Beat the Chargers this weekend!
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