Friends

True friends are hard to come by these days. I've met a lot of people, been quite a few places, and through it all, I have met very few people I would consider my friends. In fact, I can count them on one hand.

Some people have lots of friends. Some people feel the need to surround themselves with lots of people and be socially superior and popular. I don't feel that need. In fact, the less people I involve myself with, the better.

I have trust issues. There are only a few people who have earned my trust and managed to keep it for longer than a month or so. Once you lose my trust, it's damn near impossible to get it back. I'm not saying that it's never happened, but it is rare, and I can't think of any specific occasion that it happened.

Now some may think I'm some kind of elitist when it comes to my friends, but a small circle of friends is just how my family has always been. We just don't feel the need to be social butterflies, but are happy with having a few friends. We're picky, and being picky works for us.

Now I went through all that to get to the point of this post. My friends (along with my family) are my rock. They keep me grounded, pick me up when I am down, help me when I need it, support me in whatever I do, and most of all, are there when I need them.

I have been through some rough times in the last few years, and without the friends I have, I would not have made it. They kept me going when I wanted to give up, or kept me on track when I started to wander. They kept me sane when everyone and everything was driving me nuts. Even though I don't see them more than a few times a year anymore... they are only a phone call away. I can't count the times when one of my friends called me up randomly to talk about stuff or I did the same to one of them. It's rare to have that kind of true relationship with someone, especially after several years. I've known two of my best friends for over 10 years, one for 5, and one for 4. And the coolest thing is that we always seem to know when something is up with the other, and just seem to be connected on a level that goes beyond friendship.

I recently found another friend (in a rather unexpected place and person) who it feels like I have known for years instead of months. What's great is that she and I can talk about anything and everything and I can trust her with anything (which if you know me, is something that is hard to come by). It usually takes forever for me to really trust someone and be able to let them inside my head, but she found a way in, and seems to be taking up residence. It will suck when I have to leave Great Lakes for Pensacola, because who knows the next time I will see her after that. (She is Navy as well, and its a big Fleet and the odds of seeing someone you went to Basic or A School with is rare.) Luckily we will still be able to keep in contact, and seeing as I never see my other friends either, it will be just like old times!

I'm lucky to have the friends I do, and to be able to say I have true friends that are like my family. Scratch that, ARE my family. I would not be who I am or where I am with out them. They keep me going, and I thank my lucky stars for them everyday. You make me smile and laugh, listen when I need it, talk when I need it, and are there whenever I need a friend to lean on.

Thank you guys (and gal) for everything. It means more to me than you know.

~Ian