I have an optimistic view of life.
I see the good in everything.
I have trained my spirit, my mind, my being to see the good.
In everything.
I have faced many challenges and reflecting on these challenges, I can see how they crafted me, changed me, allowed me to grow into the person I am today.
And I like who I am now, more than ever before.
I see the good in everything.
Then I went to the funeral for a friend.
We moved to St. Charles, Missouri in 2013, and my dear friend greeted us days after our arrival.
My friend loved company, he loved companionship, he loved to joke, to tease, to prank……he loved life.
He enjoyed who he was.
He craved friendship.
He laughed when I laughed. He hurt when I hurt. He enjoyed the silence when there was silence.
He craved friendship.
I now crave his friendship. There was not enough time with my friend.
His garage was always open. He sat in his garage most days alone.
I did not enter his garage nearly enough.
I walked past the garage many times.
He asked for nothing.
He craved friendship. Company. Companionship.
He found it everywhere, even in himself. He enjoyed himself. He made himself laugh.
I love my friend. I miss my friend. I crave his friendship.
He is gone in the physical sense. But he is not gone. He will never be gone. He is with us, with me, and always will be.
My friend taught me so much in such a little time. He taught me real friendship, loyalty, forgiveness, toughness, and as he neared the end…
…he taught me tenderness. Compassion. Love.
He taught me that while we are here, we might consider leaning into our friends and loved ones just a little more. He taught me that physical death is real. He taught me that our physical existence expires.
These are lessons that I have been taught before, but I did not embrace.
I am now ready to embrace the lessons. Time expires. So quickly.
My friend taught me to walk into the garage while the door is open. He taught me that friendship, companionship, love, matters most.
Everything else is of false importance.
Everything else might be set aside for what really matters.
Walk into the garage. Bob is waiting. Your Bob awaits. We all have one.
A person who loves your company. A person who craves friendship.
Give that person what they crave. It will feed your soul as well.
I miss my friend. He is with me in spirit. He will always be with me in spirit. His lesson remains.
I have learned my lesson. For the first time, for the final time. That is how this challenge shaped me.
I needed this lesson.
I miss my friend.
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Previously published on mikekitko.com.
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