What IS a Friend?

The loneliest point in life, is when that one person who really gets you is suddenly gone.

August 6, 2014.

He climbed to his death.

7th anniversary of my best friend falling off a cliff. I still, to this day, can’t believe I have to go through the rest of my adult life without him.

We met in a dorm called Naismith – where the well-heeled party-kids lived – it was a time in life where everything was idyllic – no stress or confusion.

We hit it off right away!

I was smoking bongs in someone’s room on the 10th floor. A kid walks in & says “Oh my God. Dude. The weirdest guy just moved onto the 7th floor. His roommate is freaking out. He's moving out. This guy just put a ton of black light posters out on the wall, he’s got these old records, huge stereo speakers, a bunch of plants...& he even brought in a papasan chair. He’s like taking over the room.”

“Does he have any drugs?” I had to ask.

“Oh, I am sure he does. He’s like really shady.”

I immediately got up, left these people & walked up to the elevator. They laughed at me as I walked out the door.

I was looking for adventure. Excitement. Something different. Always.

Laugh all you want.

I knocked on the door.

A Crazy Man answers the door with sunglasses on. He peeks out of a crack of the door like a criminal.

“Hey what’s up? I heard you had some weed & I wanted to hang out. I just got off Dead tour & wanted to know what’s going on up here?”

“Come on in.”

I sat down on the missing roommate’s bed. “So do you have any weed?”

“Of course I do. Do you want to have sex with me?”

“Oh my God…absolutely not…what the fuck. What are you talking about? I just came up here because I wanted to smoke pot. Can't we just be friends?"

"Ok."

19 years later.

Standing on the moon.

Lots & lots of things happened in between. Took a while, for me to figure it all out.

It’s 6AM & I am all alone.

On the deck, on Broad Beach, with the ocean.

& I’m crying. I literally can’t stop crying. I can’t stop smoking either.

& here comes Josh asking me “Aren’t you glad you finally understand men?”

“Yes I get it. I got it. I understand.”

That’s a friend.