I was chatting with my friend Smuckley Paddlehurst today and while it's been a long time since we've seen each other, we've started chatting quite a bit recently with his new job where he's able to take in his laptop and connect up to AIM. Anyway, today we were talking about a lot of little things - nothing special, and I realized that friends really are exceptionally precious.
I've known Smuckley for over twenty years, and while there have been lots of times that we haven't lived in the same state it's always been a very comfortable relationship. There's no pressure to stay in touch more. There's no grief if I don't call him on his birthday. He's my friend, and I'm his, and that's enough. We talk, enjoy each other, and when we get the chance, we get together, have a few laughs, and talk about old times. It's great.
I've had friends longer - some since second grade, and yet for one reason or another, it's Smuckley that is the purest friend I've got. There's a lot of baggage with the others - things we said when we were little, expectations... lots of things that I guess are a lot harder to look past. But since I met Smuckley after high school, it seems that all that 'kid stuff' didn't come into play.
It's great to have a friend like Smuckley.