And Now the Friends

Yesterday's post was my life.

So what's going on around me? A lot.

Binks, my bestest friend EVAR, disappeared on me for a while. He basically got railroaded at work. They tried to terminate him for nothing. Since they didn't have crap on him they made his life miserable in hopes of him quitting. He's stronger and better than that. So they demoted him and moved him to a remote school. Reducing his pay was the final straw. He works a second job. He talked to them and they agreed to hire him full time and raise his pay. He resigned his old job and then I lost track of him. While he gets back on his feet from the change of jobs, he turned off his phones and internet. The other night he sent me a text to call him at his job. He's okay and will get his stuff together soon. Then we plan on hitting the lake for a week of fishing in July.

A couple of weekends ago another friend sent me an IM through Facebook. I see him online all the time but he never IMs. I could tell he was down. He asked how my drunk ass was doing. I said fine. I didn't correct him and fill him in about my bout of alcohol abuse and sobriety. He's seen me at my finest drunk and I didn't feel like explaining all that went down over the years. Anyway, we chatted a while and I promised to go visit him once things get settled down at work. I have plenty of friends in Austin that I want to see. I'm gonna make it a rocking weekend this summer.

In celebration of Cinco de Mayo, me and my friend Will, both of us are barrio Mexicans from San Antonio, went out to eat Mediterranean food. Go figure. We laughed our asses off about it. His father has been sick for a while. I asked how his dad was doing. Not good. His sister had called and their father took a turn for the worst. Surgery is no longer an option since he probably won't survive it. Will told me it was only a matter of time. They are all gathering this weekend to see him.

Another friend's father, Swami as I call him, also has been sick over the years. How the old man is still alive is beyond me. He's a tough old bird and hangs in there. As sick as he is, they opted to do bypass surgery on him this week. I was honestly scared to death for him and the family. His father pulled through. Like Will's dad, I didn't think Swami's dad was strong enough for surgery. He did and I'm grateful for them. Still I believe it's a matter of time.

I pray for all my friends. I have other friends fighting depression, alcohol abuse and other problems. I'm grateful for how far I've come. My journey to happiness took 41 years. Along they way I learned that only I can give myself true happiness and contentment. Not God, not family, not friends and not the job can give me that. They can support me in all kinds of ways but until I learned to come to grips with my alcoholism and depression, nobody else could change me.

That's where me and my friends are in life right now. Not all are struggling with issues but there isn't much to write about those who don't. In fact, I plan on spending some down time in a couple of weeks with a couple of my more stable friends. That's just how live rolls...take care.

The Wonderfully Holistic Holy Pope Ivan Paulus III