Everything About Friendship I Learned From A Dog

So much has been going on lately, and only a small percentage of it is good.

We have finished the moving ordeal, and the new place is tiny, but fine enough for us. It's interesting how detached I am from the moving process. I filled boxes, I moved boxes, I emptied boxes, I threw away boxes. Done and done.

On Sunday, my car died. Officially. I will be going this weekend to get a new car. No biggie. I am just glad I'm in a position and mindset that this isn't terribly overwhelming.

In other news, I have recently reached the conclusion that the world is an ugly, ugly place. Every time I turn around, it seems something tragic is happening. I don't remember things being this way when I was younger. Were they and I just wasn't aware of it? Was I too young to recognize it?

Locally, a three year old girl was kidnapped, killed, burned, cast in concrete, and disposed of in shallow waters a county away.

Nationally, the governor of South Carolina has been having a yearlong affair with his wife with a woman in Argentina. Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, and Ed McMahon have all died within a week. Fox news was granted permission to report whateverthehell they want. John and Kate Gosslin are divorcing.

Never mind the blatant disappointment factor here, what about the overwhelming mayhem of things? I fear it's only going to get worse from here. Sometimes it's like walking down a narrowing hallway, and all of the mess is closing in.

I know people think these things don't affect them daily. I know a lot of this is just stuff I should absorb and move on from. I have just been frustrated lately. Irritated with the lack of quality people in positions of great attention or power. Irritated with how half-assed everyone is these days.

And THAT is something that affects me daily.

Why is it that people cannot be counted on? Don't you want to be able to be counted on? I have some pretty awesome people in my life, good friends who would lay it on the line for us. I have people I would take a bullet for in my life. They are loyal, respectful, and the kind of people I want my son to look up to.

To me, they are the only ones who really matter. They are set apart from everyone else.

There are so many disposable people, people who come and go as they please, when things are easy. I have learned to keep them at arm's length.

Loyalty is a dying art. I hope and pray Dylan masters this art before he gets much older. I hope he picks up on what makes some people worth fighting for and what makes others a waste of effort. I hope he values people the way they deserve, because he holds them in a place where they should be valued and not because he feels obligated.

I hope Dylan respects the people who are worth it. I know it's my job to teach him this, but at a point, he will make up his mind for himself.

If I could teach him anything on the subject, it would be this: hold on to the people who would hold on to you. Don't get jaded, keep relationships strong. When all of your surroundings become mundane and you feel the spark and the need for change - change things...but keep these people consistently close. Keep them as near to your heart as you possibly can and remind them-often-that they are there. If people are in and out, cut them loose, they will weigh you down when things get hard. Your heart is a delicate place and it should be a blessing to be allowed in. If someone takes advantage of it, don't ever let them back in. The two most important things in friendship are tolerance and loyalty. We only get one shot at living a life surrounded by people we trust. Do it right.



"Lack of loyalty is one of the major causes of failure in every walk of life." - Napoleon Hill