Faithful Friend

My fortune cookie yesterday said "A faithful friend is a strong defense".   How do you define friendship?  Joe Ratterman said it well the other day -  A person who "has your back".  I think I agree - a true friend and network of friends is your safety net in the roller coaster of life.  Verizon tries to capitalize on this in their commercials with the army of people supporting your cell phone usage - quite a visual and subliminal message.  The reality is all those acquaintances in our personal network that we call friends are really not faithful - nor a strong defense. 

Write down the people you know who would drop everything they are doing to spend time with you in a time of need.  That's right - it's the currency of time that defines faithful.  Not just - I'm here if you need me rhetoric.  No it's  action in the form of time.  Nor is the people who show up at the funeral - which by the way you can only speculate on that one.

And what really is a strong defense - or I've got your back?   Would you open up your home to someone in need?   Would you walk with that person as they experience their dangerous journey?  Would you care for them during a sickness or injury? 

And whose list are you one?  Write down the list of people that call you a faithful friend.  Have they told you this?  How would that make you feel - safer, more secure?

So - today when you see or talk to that friend are you willing to tell them (and mean it) "I've got your back"--- " I will be faithful to you" ?   

I think of that songs "Stand by, me" Randy Newman's "You've got a friend in me" ,  the movie Scent of a Woman. 

Some believe friendship is a continuum vs the pure definition above.  Maybe the same is true of Love.  But to me a faithful friend is someone you Love. How many people have you told them you love them? In the guy's world this is not done and it requires other vocabulary and activities.  And other than family and your wife it can't be done male to female.  Too bad - it would be simpler and more direct to say it.,  

So until traditions change,  I'll just use Ratterman's phrase  "I've got your back".