Friends…

Some people take the word friend lightly. To them, a friend is someone you can follow on twitter, add on facebook, multiply and even friendster. To some, friends are people who you have small conversations with…but friends are much more than that.

Friends are friends till the very end. No matter what goes between them, they’ll always be friends. Though friends may fight and not speak to one another for years and years…but deep down, they know they’re friends.

Friends are funny things actually. They make their friends’ problems their own. They make their successes, their own successes; their failures, their failures as well. Whatever your friend achieves, you achieve as well.

Friends are the type of people who’d ask you how you’re feeling when you’re sick. They’re the type of people that would drive to wherever you are in the middle of the night, just to sit next to you and stare into space. Friends are the type of people who, when they find out you’re sad…drive up to your house with a cooler filled with beer. Friends are the type of people you could sit and talk about anything and everything with…something profound like the meaning of life, or even just where butterflies go when it rains.

But what matters most in a friendship…is how you treat it. You care for it…like a baby, a puppy, or something very dear to you…it’ll grow and grow into a mighty red oak tree. However, if you treat it badly…it’ll just wither up and die.

I have a friend. She’s having problems right now and thinking about doing something rash. But I made a promise to her 2 years ago…where if one of us leaves; we don’t leave the other one behind. Both go, or no one goes. And now…she’s thinking about leaving…and I’d leave with her. I honestly will. We’re buddies, friends…who won’t leave each other behind at the first sign of danger. We’ll stick to each other like glue.

Sometimes, friends do rash things like that. Whether it be resigning just like that…or even just driving 2 hours through traffic to deliver you food when you’re not feeling well. Or even doing something incredibly stupid and humiliating like play dance dance revolution with the whole world watching.

Friends don’t care if something makes them look stupid…as long as it’s important to that friend of theirs, they’d do it. No questions asked…though sometimes, it takes a bottle or two to do the trick.

Friends are friends no matter what. Through thick and thin, during the best of times and even the worst of times. When the shit hits the fan, or when the day is as beautiful as your smile…your friend(s) would be right there with you…till the very end.

This is dedicated to two people…you guess who you are.

Parenting

Look at the world around you, people being mugged, raped, murdered…some for good reasons while others, just for the heck of it.

War is currently going on in the Middle East, Political Turmoil currently happening in a number of countries, distrust among friends, loved ones, neighbors.

We currently live in a world where everyone is afraid of everyone. You walk along the street and see someone dubious and you automatically think that that person is out there to get you…and 50% of the time, you’re possibly right.

As you found out from my earlier post, a friend of mine got mugged earlier last week. She’s this really trusting girl, not a bad thing to say about anyone and sees the world through rose-tinted glasses…and look what happened to her. At this point, you ask “why do good things happen to bad people?” And, the only answer I can give you for that is coz, “The world’s just fucked up that way.”

Looking at the world around you, seeing all the crap that’s going on, would you imagine bringing a life into a world such as this? A world of chaos and disarray, of disease and famine, of war and turmoil, and of sheer fucked-up-ness? (I know…I used a lot of redundant words there but it was just to make a point). And my answer to you is yes.

Being a parent is a life sentence. I mean, everybody wants to have a baby. That’s stupid, I mean…all their failures automatically become your failures. So if they screw up, do drugs, steal, murder, rape…it’s automatically your fault. No one else’s.

Any normal person would tell you “I’m afraid to bring in a life into the world we live in, it’s just so wrong *whine*” But as some of you know, I’m not normal…I’m screwed up.

You see, when you’re born…you’re pure, unspoiled and trusting. Some say that’s the only time you’re perfect. But, you’re also covered in blood and placenta, but no one’s really sentimental about that bit. However, as you grow older, that’s when things start to go screwy. You get betrayed, get your heart broken, get influenced by the “bad elements”, meet the neighborhood psycho and all that…but it’s your job as a parent to protect them from it.

You come into this world totally defenseless. A bundle of soft, toothless cartilage that can’t roll over, focus or hold in its own spit. And while you’re lying there helpless, a doctor comes in and chops off the end of your penis. Who’s a happy baby? Who is? Who is?

And because they’re defenseless, they need someone to protect them…and that’s where the role of a parent comes in. And you may think that you’re ready…

Before you can protect others, you have to be able to protect yourself. So preservation is the most natural of all instincts. I mean, that’s why your arms are this length *stretches out arms* so you can cover your head. Or else, you’d have arms the length of what dinosaurs had that are just up to here *imitates a T-Rex*…I mean, why do you think the dinosaurs died?

It’s up to us to protect our children, no matter what; from a bully in school, to a stalker or a homicidal maniac. I mean, who gives a fuck if it’s their fault it started, It’s our duty as parents to protect them.

I mean sure, they can go “Look here old man! *voice breaks* I’m not a kid anymore Uuuurr I’m an adult and I can do whatever I want!” But, I mean…they’re kids. What the fuck do they know. It’s our job as adults to know what’s good for them, even if they don’t know themselves. It’s our job to get in their business no matter what.

We’re here to protect them, no matter what. From all the muggers, rapists, murderers, stalkers, cult leaders, drug pushers, “evil elements”…because, they’re our children. Even if they break our hearts, do something incredibly idiotic and stupid that would break our hearts, have sex and get pregnant while in school, get caught for pushing drugs, or something…we’ll still protect them.

So yeah, I still want to have kids, 2 boys and 1 girl. And I’m going to raise them up and take care of them, not only because I have to…but because I want to.

I’m going to be their protector, and for them…I’ll have a baseball bat ready and waiting labeled “Justice” just for that specific moment in time.

We come into this world defenseless. That’s why God gave us baseball bats…well, He gave us trees but…we know what he meant *wink*.

Being a parent is a life sentence. From the day that kid is born, till the day you die. So I just want to say…Thanks Mom & Dad…for putting up with me all these years and for all the crap I've put you through.

How about you? Have you told your parents thank you?