Friends

"To the world you may be just one person, but to one person you may be the world." - Brandi Snyder

Tonight, I have realized how important it is to have friends. Friends come in all forms, shapes and sizes. We had dinner tonight with friends, shared a bottle of wine and stories of old times. Nights like tonight let a person go to bed happy.

Friendship is important to everyone. We all need them. I know I have done my share of crying on friends' shoulders or taking advantage of the help that they selflessly offered. With friendship you gain a lot. You gain their knowledge of whatever it may be. I have friends knowledgable in everything from the right wine to pair with dinner to the right bit to try for a certain problem. No matter what I may need I can call on someone. Everyone needs some companionship. I get a lot of it from my animals. I love to go outside in the mornings to do chores and hear that friendly nicker. I love it when I have bonded with these guys enough that anytime they see me they nicker or hang their head over the gate awaiting a scratch and sometimes a cookie. My favorite are those horses that everyone has problems with love me. I can remember when I worked for a reiner, he had a stud that no one handled. When I say no one, I mean they did not clean his stall or anything. Well this was a big pretty stud who had more mane than I had ever seen but it was knotted from one end to the other. So one evening when I was there by myself I decided I would brush out his mane. I walked in the stall and talked to him and preceeded to brush it out. His mane hung to his knees. I don't know if it was an ignorance is bliss moment or I actually formed a bond with him but everytime after that he talked to me when I went by.

I have always had that luck with people too. From the moment that I started working retail I always got the customers that no one wanted to deal with and I loved it. I love a challenge and a fight as well. Even in the horse deal I have had the oppurtunity to deal with people like this. I once gave lessons to a set of girls whose parents were known for not being able to pay but it did not bother me. After the 5th lesson, the mom asked me to hold her check for a few days and she would call me when I could cash it. No problem, everyone has a bad week. I held that check for nearly a month before she called to apologize to me. It probably would have made anyone else mad but the girls needed the lessons more than I needed the money.

Friends are priceless and unreplaceable. I have several I hold dear to my heart. I have some that I don't chat with as often as I would like and some I have lost contact with and it hangs heavy on my heart. I called a friend a few days ago that I have not talked to in awhile and had the most uplifting conversation. Truth be told I needed it. Sometimes we need to be told we are missed and thought about. I am very thankful for all of those that I can call a friend.

"Promise me you'll always remember: you're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." Christopher Robin to Pooh

Until tomorrow,
Sam