Best friend. The term had a different meaning when I was younger. In elementary school, it was an intricate matrix of who had the latest video games, the most G.I. Joe figures, and the best yard to play in. Not surprising, the title was as transient as the marketing forces which bestowed it would suggest.
The elementary school playground was a long time ago. I've grown older since, and as I've coursed through the years I've even grown up a bit. At some point, my understanding of what constitutes a friend, let alone a best friend, changed.
It isn't that he's someone who will make you laugh, but that, no matter how much time passes between meetings there is an immediate sense of comfort when you are around him, and you know you don't have to impress.
It isn't that he has the same interests as you, but that, as you move down slightly different paths that take you different places, his loyalty continues in the face of differing interests, holding your friendship as common ground.
It isn't that he is willing to help you with pouring concrete, laying sod, and hanging crown molding, it is that he works just as hard to help you improve as a person.
He endures your foolishness, even if it is painful to him. He believes in your dreams, and in some instances is more committed to them than you are. He is someone you can hold in the same esteem as your family because his values and his integrity are the same as theirs.
Can you have more than one best friend? Of course. Given my definition, this is not the paradox it may seem, though for my part I consider myself blessed for even one.
Happy birthday, Simon.
mw
