Friends
April Ambles: Reflections of a Philosophical Forager — Day 26
How many kinds of friends do you have in your life? Do you think of your friends as being only human, and only in your immediate sphere? Do you think they must be living? People that you know first-hand?
I think friends are everywhere. Friends of the heart, yes, they are the first to come to mind. These may be the fewest, if the dearest, of the count. But there are many other friends that enrich our lives beyond the immediately recognizable ones.
There are people we encounter only briefly, perhaps only in passing on the sidewalk after a long and busy day. We may look up and catch a random glance, exchange a smile, lasting only an instant, but sustaining us beyond the moment.
Then there is the eager dog or the cat, or whatever living creature we have chosen as a companion, who greets us at the door when we return from an absence. This friendship is as sure as many a human one.
And what of the characters we have come to know through books, or movies? These beings, be they historical or fictitious, are sometimes more real for us than the people we encounter every day. Be it Jo March or Huck Finn or the Hunchback of Notre Dame or Harry Potter, we have suffered and loved with these literary figures, and are less alone because they are part of this universe as are we.
And then there are the inanimate objects that are part of our everyday routine, such as our fork and knife, which bring pleasure and nourishment to our mouths and bodies every day. These are our friends as well, as are familiar companions such as a briefcase, a purse, a trusty hammer, a favorite scarf.
In fact, in friendship we are far richer than we ever realized. May we be worthy of each element and recognize its value when it comes along.
For more amblings from the author, check out Child of the Woods: An Appalachian Odyssey.
