Day 23 – friends

I get by with a little help from my friends.- The Beatles

I have the greatest friends in the world.

I mentioned before that I have been writing this blog for about 3 years now and not posting a thing…yep I have some issues, we’ve established that :)  Tonight I was reflecting on how grateful I am to have such amazing people in my life.  Though this year has been met with a lot of loss, in truth there has been much more gained: understanding the value of a true friend and the importance of real connection.  As I looked back through old writing, and wonderful memories, I came across something I wrote back in January of 2011:

I recently returned from a week-long Caribbean cruise.  In all honesty the cruise itself was nothing to write home about – mediocre food, islands I’ve already seen, nausea from the rocking, boredom at sea.  What made the trip one of the best ever – what makes or breaks every moment, really – was who I was with.  The people I love most – family, and those I consider to be family (shout out to Amy Nachon).   Spending an entire week with my parents, hubby, best friend and her hubby and parents was an absolute blast.  Made me realize how grateful I am to have such amazing people in my life – life-long friends - something many people don’t have.

I see people that wander through life disconnecting, making more enemies than friends, losing touch with those they once cared for deeply – surrounded by conflict.   Where there is disconnect, I see opportunity.  Where there are enemies, I see love.  Where there is distance, I see hope.  Where there is conflict, I see resolution.  I see possibility – to learn, to properly assess, to make things work, to love unconditionally, to express vulnerability, and to create a dialogue with those that are most important.  I am a firm believer that we are all, at our core, good and therefore all worthy of lots and lots of love!

A wise man once said: “I think that when we set aside all the craziness we’re left only with the people in our lives.  I think above all a good friend is the most valuable asset one can possess.”  At the end of the day when I really look at the things that matter, I know that how much money I have, things I possess, success I have in my work and the things I’ve done mean nothing at all without the people in my life that I love dearly.  Because without them, there would be no me.  There would be no money, no success, no memories worth having if I couldn’t share the best (and the worst) times with the best people.

I refer to my closest friends as my diamonds, because diamonds are forever and they have been, and will be, forever.  Whether I see/talk to them everyday, once a year or never, they will forever be my rocks.  I will forever be devoted and connected to them based on the experiences we have shared.    It doesn’t matter what we own, it doesn’t matter where we’ve been, it doesn’t matter what we’ve done, what we’ve been through or where we're going - none of it matters, without each other.   To my diamonds – I love you.

“Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.  Just walk beside me and be my friend.”
― Albert Camus (shout out to my Camp Tamarack peeps)

“The truth is, everyone is going to hurt you. You just got to find the ones worth suffering for.”
― Bob Marley

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.”
― William Shakespeare

“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.”
― Muhammad Ali

Good friends are like stars.  You don’t always see them, but you now they’re always there.

My friends are doing some awesome things...check them out:

Amy Nachon - event planning, super Jew (bahahaaha) at Kenes
Kim Max - worldwide traveling photog extraordinaire: kimmaxphoto.com
Lolita Brayman - changing the world One Down Dog and blog post at a time: Caterpillar Schemes
Chelsea Vespa - LA Nanny, future yoga teaching life changer
Hubby - making the world a better place... one perfectly soft American made tee at a time:  Cotton Citizen