Happy Palentine's /Galentine's Day.
This year we celebrate things a little differently, by recognizing our closest friends who mean the most to us. Happy Palentine’s/ Galentine’s Day from Samuel and I. Although love comes in all forms, today we are focusing on a lifelong bond we call friendship.
One of the main reasons I reached out to Samuel was because I felt as if I was lacking a friendship with depth. I wasn’t being stimulated the way I craved to be. I mean, I know I had many friends who wanted that sort of connection with me, but I wasn’t willing to open that door to that kind of honesty with those around me. I’ve always had this invisible wall that prevented me from being totally comfortable with anyone, and there were certain things that I needed in a friendship that I couldn’t quite seem to find or ask for:
Someone to explore existential questions with.
Someone with a type of intelligence that differed from mine.
Someone to help me question and challenge my beliefs.
Someone who I can share a form of creativity with, that brings us a sense of purpose.
Aeschylus once said “...we must suffer, suffer into truth.” I believe Samuel and I were both suffering in our own worlds. Call it desperation, the basic need for human connection, or maybe wanting to explore and learn from our sufferings - we found one another and an instantaneous bond came to fruition. We were both ready to try something different, which was being honest.
Early on, Samuel wrote to me; “I'm not sure if people truly understand how important mail is to prisoners. If I could put it into words, I guess it would be similar to the importance of the sun and waters importance to a tree. A letter is sun and water to a prisoner's soul and spirit.” I remember reading those words and feeling a sort of honesty that I have never experienced with anyone. For someone to tell me that they needed me in a way that was vital to their existence was more profound than what I have ever experienced. Samuel wore his heart on his sleeve, all he needed was a friend, as did I. Quickly, I felt each layer of my invisible wall come down with each letter exchanged. The willingness and openness to dissect one another and learn about ourselves and our sufferings was different for me. It was cool.
We asked one another what a friendship meant and what it was that we offer one another that has made this friendship last as long as it has. To me, a friend is someone who encourages, and then will celebrate the tiniest of achievements. To him, a friend fuels the fire of aspirations and makes landing on the moon seem like an achievable goal. Friends give one another the tools needed to grow and flourish, and a friendship is the foundation to any true human connection. When you find someone that equally reciprocates that sense of security that a friend offers, it is a wonderful feeling. You get to choose your friends and with some, they become family. Friends can last a lifetime, and I’m honored to call Samuel my friend, just as he is as honored to call me his.