Youthhood

   I have walked for eighteen short years on this land. I have come across many great souls, and of  those I have met thus far, three individuals stick out to me in a special way. The first, I have known for sixteen years. He shares my own flesh and blood. He has spend countless road trips to Wyoming with me. He has played such a monumental part in my becoming. We came from playing Lego Racing on the Nintendo 64, to The Oak Club and challenging the neighbors Chihuahua, to Capital Cove. You can truly see his heart when he sings. His voice isn't perfect, it cracks and it's not always smooth, but it may be the most beautiful voice I have yet to hear. It's honest. We can entertain ourselves for hours on end with childish games we invented in our own minds. It is safe to proclaim that we have a unique loyalty to each other. No matter where I go, he will always have a place in my life. The second, she is my best girl friend. The countless memories we have spent together hold some of the truest joy I have yet to experience. She is a girl that I don't have to hold conversation with. We can drive around for thirty minutes and not speak a word. Maybe that is because we spend more time together and any new events in our life don't have time to keep up. Or maybe it is because we chose to entertain ourselves with discovering age defying creek mud and making forts. Most of the time our deepest conversations happen in the evening, when we have bottles of Cream Soda and her beautiful backyard. My relationship with this beautiful girl has taught me something so significant. Tension arises quite regularly when you spend so much time with one person, and even though we consistently know of this unspoken tension between us, she continues to love me, and me, her. And not just after we have spoken our condolences, but in the midst of the discomfort. This last individual...I do not even know where to begin. His patience and gentleness amazes me. You could steal this mans money and kick his horse when it's down and somehow his kind heart would come back around to you. He laughs at virtually everything containing the slightest hint of humor. He works mostly on logic, for this I have the most respect for him. He knows what he has to do and he can carry it out positively. It is hardest for me to explain him, something I discovered only as I have typed this sentence.

  While these three individuals have such strong and independent qualities, something remarkable happens when we come together. I am truly thankful for you, for the beautiful, simple, wholesome and satisfying moments you all have given me. I could never scream Manchester songs, trek through forests or listen to some great live musicians with the same amount of gratification if I were with anyone else. I have received the purest joy from our friendship and can only continue to be more blessed through you. There is nothing like you, like the chemistry that occurs when we come together. Nothing like watching Big Fish and then racing out the door and across the lawn at night. And no matter where we go, no matter what kind of path we are sent down, I can say with confidence, I will always love you.