That Friend Feeling

I used to think I didn’t have many friends. I used to think I was sort of like the typical male, a lone wolf sort that had friends here and there but no close friends. At least not like many of the women I know.

But then I thought back and I couldn’t remember a time when I didn’t have them.  They weren’t always of the same intensity of feeling, and they weren’t always of the same frequency of interaction, but I have always had them nonetheless.

I tried to make a list of my friends over the years and realized I couldn’t always remember their names. But, I could always see their faces in my head and, more importantly, I could always remember the feeling I had being with them.  

Church Friends  vs Work Friends

Long ago I lived in California. I worked at a restaurant (among other places) and I went to church.  I moved away and a year later came back to visit.  I visited both my old workplace and my old church.  It was nice seeing my church friends.  But when I went to the restaurant I was REALLY excited to see my work friends. Why was that?  The people at church were great. We had raised our kids together. We had done a lot of things, had a lot of conversations, been through a lot. Prayed a lot. So why was I so much more excited to see my work friends than my church friends?

The Comfort Spot

It came down to comfort.  At work I was completely and utterly who I was, good and bad. My funniest, most serious, most stressed, most helpful, most sober, most drunk, most angry, most peaceful, most happy, most sad, most moral, most immoral, most ethical, most unethical, most creative, most boring.  All of me was on display at that restaurant but only part of me was on display at that church.

And my work friends? They were the same. They showed every part of themselves to me.  So, when I came back a year later, I yearned for that comfort of seeing those who knew me so well and still loved me.  The church friends knew the best of me and love me. But the work friends knew all of me and loved me.

They were my comfort spot. They were my cushions of life.

Who are your cushions and where can they be found?

Drawing and commentary © 2015 Marty Coleman

Quote by Kimberley Blaine – Therapist, writer, blogger, brand ambassador

Kimberley (left) and her sister, Jammie

Kimberley is a friend of mine from the world of blogging and social media.  She wrote the words above in a blog post many month ago and I loved it so much I stole them (sorry Kimberley!)

She is well worth following because of her incredible honesty and insight into what it takes to be a mom, a spouse, a woman, a professional and yes, a friend.

You can find her everywhere but here are a few platforms that you should take a look at:

Website – The Go-To Mom

FaceBook – Kimberley Blaine

YouTube – The Go-To Mom

Amazon – The Go-To Mom’s Parents’ Guide to Emotion Coaching Young Children