In the Arms of Love

'You can never have too many friends!'

What a well-worn saying! It IS true however, if they're truly friends: many people have plenty of fair-weather friends, friends who will only be there for you when things are going good & some people are simply moochers or gold-diggers, out to mine for the precious metal ( or paper ) that you carry! These kinds of friends are a dime-a-dozen, but if you want to find out who your true friends are, throw a monkey wrench into the wheels of your smooth-running life & see who comes to your aid & who either throws you under the bus or walks by on the other side!

My life is good: it's been quite an adventure, especially the last few months, but it's all good! I got to see the West Coast, of which I'd heard that the part I visited, the Oregon Coast, was the most beautiful. I got to experience a road-trip with a woman I'd just met, which, in retrospect, may not have been the brightest idea I've ever had. I got to experience ( more or less ) how 'the other half' live, having spent a few days in a homeless shelter in Spokane, Washington. Over all, if had the chance or opportunity to do it again, although I'd doubtless do certain things differently, I'd probably do it all over again. But then again, I might just call a 'Danny Glover'!

'Friends are friends forever'; so sang Michael W. Smith in his 1983 hit 'Friends'! True friends, yes, are friends forever & in some cases, only time will tell. A true friend will not be as those mentioned earlier, there only for what they can get from you & then absent or otherwise unavailable ( or unable ) the minute you need something, No, a True Friend will be about the exact opposite; although he or she may be absent through much of the good times, when the bad times come calling or a metaphorical wrench is thrown into the works, they will be the ones who come running to see if they can lend a hand, even only if it's to slap you around till you come to your senses!

Some people come into your life for only a season & some set up house & settle in for the long haul, but everyone comes into your life for a reason! Those who pass through your life like a breeze ( or a hurricane ) are usually there to teach us something; either they are meant to be a lesson for us or we are meant to be a lesson for them: sometimes, it's both! Everything happens for a reason! If you don't believe that, you're living in a dream-world & have blinders on! Believing that whatever happens to us simply happens by chance is like playing Russian Roulette with a full cylinder; well, why not, right? There's always the chance that the round that the hammer falls on is a dud, right?! You go ahead & take your chances! Not me, no way, no how!

Reason also plays a part in how we choose those who will simply pass on through & those who remain! Everything happens for a reason, yes, but sometimes the reason is that we're stupid & make bad choices! A true friend is one who is there for you through thick & thin, one who is honest enough to tell you when you're on the wrong track & who is not afraid to get in your face about it. They won't kick you when you're down, although sometimes it might feel like it!

A friend who does kick you when you're down is no friend at all! Although it may seem like it, a true friend will never leave you hanging but will always give you a hand up after he or she slaps you down or gives you a much-needed old-fashioned butt-kicking! There ARE those out there, unfortunately, who act the part of a fair weather friend or even gold-digger & sometimes it's hard to tell the difference, for whatever reason, between these types of friends & those who are 'forever friends'!

When it comes to 'just friends', sometimes we can indeed have too many! If someone is 'just a friend'. there's a good chance that he or she is there just for the good times, to see what they can get from you & then vanish into the sunset like a blood-sucking cowboy ( or girl ). One must exercise great care in dealing with 'just friends', because while some may turn out to be actual friends ( again, 'time will tell' ), many of these 'friends' are there simply to get what they can & then 'get while the gettin's good', sucking the life out of you in the process!

So, you're probably thinking, 'what about love? He hasn't made one mention about love or what this article has to do with being 'In the Arms of Love'!' That's true, I haven't directly made one mention of 'love' till just now & I'm not going to anymore either; I'm going to let you the reader figure it out!

Choose your friends, but choose wisely; guard your heart ( thanks, sis )!

Charles Haddon Shank