That's What Friends Are For!!!

Growing up I was a loner. I was as adept at living life without friends as I was with friends. Even today, I can count the number of real life friends I have on both fingers. Often, I justify this with the age old mantra of "quality over quantity," but even that sounds like a fallback for only the loneliest of people. Truth be told, I would rather have a million friends whom cared about me as much as I cared about them, but unless you're Zuckerberg that's impossible. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't want even a fraction of the percentage of "friends" that dude has anyway, lol!

We have many discussions about motivation. We talk about being the wolf and getting up on your own two feet. We talk about pulling yourself up by the boot straps and owning your journey! We even tell you that at the end of the day it's YOUR journey and you put into it what you get out of it. All of this is very true, but what do you do when the chips are down? What do you do when it seems that you've been sidelined with injury and a lack of motivation? How do you keep going when there are things like death in the family that makes you question the very reason you exist in the first place? That's where your friends come into play.

It took me many years to understand the concept that "A friend in need is a friend indeed!" I didn't understand that until I was a grown man. I have been sidelined from my passion and love of running for nearly 2 weeks. I expected my MFP friends to sort of let me fade into the dust. I expected to be let alone to go quietly into that silent night. I expected all of my other running buddies to say "Sucks to be him, let's find someone else to focus our energy on!" However, that didn't happen.

My friends came through for me in the truest ways possible. Certainly, they sent the well wishes. However, they did something I never expected: They cared. They challenged me to stay the course and keep being the BAWSS that I had relentlessly encouraged others to be. They reminded me that quitting was not an option and that I have not earned the right to be discouraged. They kept running, lifting weights, and doing their various programs. When they were done, they doubled back, gave me a shoulder to lean on, and said "Brother, now it's time for us to cross this finish line together!"

A friend in need is a friend indeed. My bravado, empathy, and motivation of others has never once been false. With this injury, I got a taste of my own medicine and it was not bitter. It was not the hemlock in the chalise of empty words and false hopes. It was the sweetest, most invigorating drink I have ever had the privilege of putting to my palate.

I couldn't ask for a better team. I couldn't ask for better friends than those I have found here on MFP. Geography may separate us, but the love and passion that we put into all that we do shines through everyday under the umbrella of a common goal: To be healthy and fit, and to make sure that those we encounter do the same. All I can say is thank you, because I absolutely do not have the words...