Friends

Recently a very good friend of mine had to go to the hospital. I know that she'll get better, but it will be a long road to recovery. However, her illness got me to thinking about friendship in general.

Humans are by nature social beings. We need the company of others. Very few of us could survive for long without having other people around. We need some kind of contact with others, however fleeting.

Look up the word friends in the dictionary and you find:

• A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.
• A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.
• A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.
• One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement.

The concept of a friend can encompass many different people in your life: family members, husband, wife, children, and just about anybody else. I think that the person you are married to or live with should be more than someone that "you love", they should be a friend too. My feeling is that if they can't be a friend, why are you in love with them?

Friends can be like a family members too. When you don't have any family, recruit some friends to be your family – they are the best type because you get to pick them!

Lastly, the holidays are upon us again. Here's a suggestion: don't give in to commercialism, instead let your friends know how much you appreciate their support. You don't have to spend a bunch of money, just give them a call or send them a card. Sometimes the simplest things can have the biggest impact.

A helping hand

What is one of the greatest gifts that one person can give another? Well, there was a song by the Beatles that had a line that went something like this: “I get by with a little help from my friends.” There are two phrases that come to mind also: “circle of friends” and “circle of life.” [which is also the title to a song by Elton John and Tim Rice]

Humans are, for the most part, very social. We live in groups, communities, cities, nations. We depend upon the work of others to survive. Imagine what your life would be like if you had to grow and process all of your food, generate all of your own energy, pump your own water, build your own shelter, manipulate fibers to create your own clothing, and do everything else you needed to survive on a daily basis. Do you think you could do it? I suspect that very, very few of us could.

It is a great shame that we – the human race that is – are unable to cooperate together to work towards the good of humanity. I wonder sometimes what we might have been able to achieve if we had not wasted so much time, energy, money, and lives on hate, violence and war. It makes me so very sad. My hopes and dreams of youth have been demolished by stupidity, corporate greed, and governmental waste.

Alas, all I can do is take care of my own little circle. That is what truly gives me satisfaction in my life. Until very recently friends were the only family that I had. I have been very fortunate to have some incredible people in my life (including the members of my new found family!). For this I am eternally grateful. I truly do not know where I would be without them.

Childhood's End - Addendum

Well, just when you're expecting one thing the universe throws you a curve ball. My boyfriend - who doesn't remember dates - actually remembered my birthday (or did he read my Blog?) and sent flowers and a balloon. He's also taking me out for a nice dinner. I also got a phone call from an old friend that I haven't spoken to (although we sometimes trade e-mails) in years. She called just to with me a "Happy Birthday". So, all total I got two phone calls, one e-mail, flowers, a balloon, and dinner. Not bad.

Just remember, when you think you know what's going to happen, expect the unexpected.

New Year's resolutions

Ah yes, here we are at that fateful time of year where many a person will resolve to do this or not do that. It’s another tradition that has been with us for a very, very long time. I got to wondering how long we’ve been doing this to ourselves and discovered that this goes back to the time of the Babylonian’s (who’s most popular [recorded] resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment). Seems we’ve been torturing ourselves for much longer than I thought!

Personally I’ve come to the realization that it is not good to set a bunch of unrealistic goals for myself and then not be able to achieve them. It’s not good for my (or anyone’s) self worth. It is much easier to be one’s own worse enemy than it is to be one’s own best friend. I have learned that if you can’t like yourself then it is very hard to truly like others; and there is one thing that I know for sure, you can’t make it through life without friends. I am very grateful for my good fortune to have some very good friends.

So, with all of that said, I want to list a few “non-resolutions” – suggestions for things for all of us (myself included) to consider doing (and, yes, this is me stepping up on my soapbox again):

1. Be kinder to one another.
2. Take care of our home, our real home: Earth. Recycle wherever possible (Circuit City takes rechargeable batteries; Publix takes plastic bags, paper bags, and foam cartons; many communities have drop sites where you can take aluminum, plastic bottles, and glass; Staples takes some brands of empty toner and ink jet printer cartridges). Try to use less water, less energy, and other non-renewable resources.
3. Invest in the future: support education (read a book or magazine, watch a nature or science program on PBS – NOVA is a favorite of mine). Encourage a child to learn about science.
4. Don't believe everything you hear on the TV or read in the papers. Remember who owns those sources (a very few, big corporations) and that they do not have your best interests in mind. Instead, try to read more from non-traditional sources: PBS TV and NPR radio, Free Speech TV, Free Inquiry magazine, and Mother Jones are just a couple of suggestions.
5. Be a volunteer. I’ve found that getting involved with something is very fulfilling. Many communities are allowing retired folks (who are on limited incomes) to “pay” their taxes by doing volunteer work.

I also have one important, and personal, resolution for this year: find a job. If you’ve read my earlier posts you know that late last year I quit my job. So this is one resolution I’ve got to reach soon (or you might not see many more posts from me!).

In closing I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I hope that you have a happy and enjoyable day. As for me, I’ll be sitting down to a traditional dinner tonight of ham and black eyed peas (with rice) for a dose of luck for the coming year.