The Wolves in Our Pack – Best Friend Forever
The following 5-Part Series will examine men’s friendships; how we find them, how we cultivate them, and what they do for us, and our friends.
🥳 Celebrating the 400th post of Taylor Garcia on the GoodMenProject.com! 🥳
On the hero’s journey, there’s a moment when the protagonist leaves the known world and sets off into the unknown world. It is in that unknown world where he encounters monsters, demons, trials and tribulations that will test him. He meets new characters and faces new situations. He grows and transforms into someone new as a result of these challenges, and then he returns with an enlightened perspective.
The hero’s journey is generally solitary, as in the hero faces these challenges alone, however there’s one character that should play a more prominent role. It’s the fellow hero, the side warrior, the voice of reason and guidance. The partner-in-crime and heroics.
On my hero’s journey, that character is Alex. He’s been my journey mate since seventh grade. He’s witnessed me confront all those aforementioned trials. He’s provided insights and counsel, a shoulder to cry on, and jokes to make me laugh. The odd part is that we have lived in different time zones in different cities for more than half our lives, and yet we still manage to keep the friendship strong.
Did I mention we talk almost once, sometimes two or three times a week?
Yes, it’s that kind of friendship. We are invested deeply in each other’s lives. We know each others’ fears and worries, dreams and hopes. We challenge each other relentlessly, and we also give each other plenty of space. One listens, and the other speaks, then vice versa. It’s been like this for years, and I don’t see it stopping.
Sure, we have lost touch once in a while. We’ve disagreed. We’ve had awkward moments of misunderstanding when we do get together, which is quite rare, but we always come back to the premise that we have each other’s back for life.
My friendship with Alex has taught me how to treat other humans. How to be considerate of my loved ones. I watch him talk to people and see how he can immediately light them up, and I aspire to do that. He’s a healer, like I am, and we are now in a phase of our lives where we are sharing our practices without even knowing it. We are each other’s apprentice.
The best friend for life takes work. It’s kind of like a marriage. You have to be there, you have to listen, you have to adapt. You have to let them go on their journeys while you take yours. You have to give and take, and accept.
Recently, we both had the opportunity to be together to celebrate Alex’s birthday and record some podcasts together. In Los Angeles for a couple of nights, we hit the town and fell into a familiar rhythm. At breakfast one of those mornings, our server said, “The energy between you is visible.”
We explained that we were best friends since junior high, and that we hadn’t seen each other since 2019.
“Make sure you keep each other,” she said. “Best friends are hard to find.”
And she’s right. Once you find them, keep them, and take them on your hero’s journey. You’ll need them.
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This Post is republished on Medium.
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Photo credit: Unsplash
