We Were Created and We Foundeth Each Other

I don't usually follow advice that well. (Ok, I rarely follow it at all.) And yet, the powers that be have seen it fit to bestow upon me all kinds of people who are still willing to dish it out, solicited or not. My best friend and I got into a little battle this week, which is somewhat unusual since we don't fight much. But when you're close to someone for 31 years, you're going to fight sometimes and you learn to pick your battles. I was telling another friend about this and they reminded me how lucky we all are to have people who love us and care about us unconditionally. She had a great quote about how these people aren't always going to like you or your decisions but they will always love you, and that of course goes both ways. Because that's what loving unconditionally is. I don't use the word often but you are incredibly blessed if you find a couple of those people, forget the two handfuls that I have in my corner. My inner circle has been with me in the trenches when I couldn't get out of my own way and was putting myself in danger by self-medicating. They figured out how to support me while also trying to smack sense into me. I'm sure they hated who I was then, or at least hated seeing what I'd evolved into, but they still loved me. They were there with champagne when I got engaged and they were there with pitchforks and torches when I got un-engaged. Highs, lows, crazy nights in and laid back nights out (I'm sure you're thinking those last two should be reversed but no, that's just how we roll). They make me laugh, they make me think and they're there for every vent and every excited rant. Out of however many billion people in the world, we all found each other. That's pretty awesome when you think about it. Even when they are threatening to take conservatorship over my life (and me over their Avon and reality TV addictions) and lo-jack me to prevent me from not adhering to their advice, I still love 'em. Even when I don't  take it (and I often don't) and feel the effects, there is never an 'I told you so' because they would rather I not have to find out the hard way. And the reverse is true (although 99% of them, and probably the human and animal populations, tend to follow advice better than I do). We definitely don't always like each other. But we do love each other. And because our friendships are apparently life sentences, we'll always have each other. And that's pretty awesome when you think about it.