Best Friends

I have two "best friends". They are the best, and are so labeled, because they are completely opposite of each other and oft times to me and my way of thinking.

They are both unique and eclectic in their cogniscant way, that every nuance of a thought process can be defined as bringing balance and giving an even keel to me and how I live and think.

Ben is the one I've known since 1st grade. As we've aged, we've come to differ on almost every subject. This is not in spite of each other as people, but how we were raised and how we have studied and opened our minds to what else is out there and grasped our attentiveness. The longevity of our friendship has been based on something more than political or religious differences. I like to think that our fervor for still calling each other a friend is that we've also shared many experiences that are of a human nature, transcending anything construed by a controlling body. I've stood by his bedside when it looked grim for him needing a liver transplant. He stood by my bedside after I was mugged and shot. He shared personal experiences with my grandparents, and likewise I with his grandmother. We've each attended parties thrown for jobs well done in our professions, or when something big happened in our lives that was cause for celebration. Though we may not converse as much as either one of us might like, life has taken up time in our lives to get the things done that need be, however, life cannot separate something that will be a good and true thing for ages to come ...

Dawn is the opposite of me, but exactly the same. She is a black female, whereas I am a white male. The yin and yang should be apparent immediately! We think the same on almost every subject. To scrutinize what we don't have in common would be too miniscule to actually be counted. We can finish each others' sentances and know exactly what the other is thinking when conversation proves that we disagree with something being said. We are both highly opiniated, but we keep our opines in check by giving each other 'the look'. But, again, we share things of a human nature that only the feelings from within can explain ...

The point is quite simple for my writing about two people that I care deeply for: they are two of the best people anyone could ask for - so different, yet the same in that we come full circle in our lives. Some things are best left to mystery, for to second guess any of them would condemn the living friendship.

I would give them the shirt off my back, and, I would gladly give my life for either of them.

Respect is taken, when respect is given ...

Namaste and Slainte