You know I was thinking this morning on my bus ride to the YC of the importance of friends in my life. How friendships of all sorts have enriched and fulfilled my life to this point. I started wondering who, where, and how I would be, had I not been blessed by their presence. The people I know as friends have been right there with me for nearly every fun filled adventure of my life, and have thankfully also been my shoulder to lean on through times so incredibly painful that I wonder how I ever made it through. We have shared laughter, tears, adventure, music, drink, dance and more over the years.
In elementary school, I always had a plethora of friends to call upon, and I can recall getting off the bus after school every day and racing to the park for a pick up game of baseball, football, or an intense round of PIG at the basketball courts. In the evenings we would play fast paced, lamppost-lit games of ghost in the graveyard and kick-the-can before finally being called in for bedtime by the parental units. BMX bikes were all the rage back in those days, and my friends and I would spend countless hours building ramps and perfecting increasingly difficult ways to injure ourselves. If the BMX didn't do the trick, there was always my trampoline in the back yard to provide us with scores of bumps, bruises, burns and the every-so-often trip to the ER
Eventually BMX gave way to the automobile as I hit my early teen years. I was the first one of my friends to obtain a driver's license, and I remember driving my buddies everywhere in my faded tan 1978 Chevy single cab. That wonderful truck set me back a whole summer of hard fought earnings for the $500 needed to make it my own. With the windows down and the wind in our hair, having this gasoline powered monster in my grasp ushered in a fantastic new age of freedom and independence. No longer were my friends and I prisoners of the big yellow school bus, and we drove to school nearly every day, which often meant pooling our lunch money resources for the gas to do so. Weekend nights during this point in my life were spent on an exciting new pastime called "cruising", that we had all been waiting years to participate in. Getting to "do the loop" was a variable coming-of-age, and was THE thing to do!
As junior high finally evolved into high school, some of my fondest memories are of summer days spent out at the lake soaking up the sun, boating, cliff diving off the infamous Big Bob, and sharing laughter and stories around the campfire before retiring to our tents. The friends I had during this particular time of my life are still some of the closest friends I have to this day. I bought a motorcycle and remember vividly summer nights spent riding crotch rockets down "the cruise" with friends, late night parties, and awkward attempts at sneaking back in. Road trips were always a good time as well, with good buddies in tow, the music turned up, the windows rolled down and no particular time frame in which to adhere to.
Graduation from high school meant saying goodbye to a few good friends as they headed off for college. Instead of going to college myself, I decided to jump right into the job market and ended up getting my feet wet in graphic design. Moving out of my parents' house became an easy choice, and I recall the fun and excitement of getting my first apartment with some close friends.
Not to long after moving out I sadly lost my father to a massive heart attack, he died at home in front of my Mom and my little brother on his lunch break. I got the heartbreaking call at work and I made it to the house just minutes after the ambulance arrived. This loss was devastating to me, and my friends and their families were instrumental in helping me to deal with the hardship and pain. Words can not express my gratitude to them, even to this day.
Through the next few years our tight group of friends got even more so. The living arrangements changed several times as we moved around and in and out of each others places. It was a great time of get togethers, parties, visiting friends in college, and growing up a little more. I was one of the first in our group to turn 21, and I remember all the trickery involved in getting my friends into the bar with me and then trying to get away cleanly when we'd get caught.
Eventually restlessness caught up to a few of us (myself included), and so we ended up moving hundreds of miles away from each other. Some went away to school, while others simply moved somewhere else for a change of scenery. I myself packed my whole life up and moved to Bozeman and it is here that I have lived for the last 7 years.
Although I now call Bozeman home and continue to make new friendships, I still have a close connection, that I hope never dissolves, with my friends back home. It's funny that we can go for months on end without talking, but instantly catch back up with a phone call or visit. We make attempts at having mini-reunions every now and then for special occasions, events, weddings, birthdays, holidays and such. I'm always amazed by how much they continue to change and yet somehow stay the same too.
And so it goes as we walk through life constantly making new friends and acquaintances, some of them stick around for awhile and others just fade away. Some burn with super intensity for only a short while, while others are constantly aglow. Some of these friends play pivotal roles in our decision making while others provide varying degrees of influence, support and guidance.
To all of my friends out there - new, old, my past, my present, my life, and now MySpace... I give you thanks with the utmost sincerity. As most of you already know, I am an extremely social person, and you are the true source of much of my happiness. Without you all, my world would be far less spectacular. You enlighten me, provide me with inspiration, tie me up with fits of curiosity, and keep me ever hungry with a zest for life. Thank you... thank you... THANK YOU.
I want to leave you with this little quote I came up with awhile back:
"Intervention, be it divine or not... shapes us, molds us, and rewards us with the fruit of change."
Your friend,
David
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