PALS

This past weekend, I had the honor and good fortune of spending a few days with five of the greatest guys I have ever known. We laughed 'til we cried, cheered hard, ate too much and managed to re-kindle friendships that had remained bonded, although dormant for nearly thirty years.

Many of you have relationships similar to that of which I speak; a group of people you spend an enormous amount of time with in your formative years,  who become family, and form a bond so tight, nothing can penetrate, or diminish, its strength regardless of the circumstances. These men are those friends, that family. 

Our crew did everything together, back in the day. We went on road trips together, spent time at each others' houses, celebrated successes and endured failures together. We tolerated each other, despised one another, were, at times, mischievous and unlawful in our actions, and honorable in our loyalty, to a fault. In a phrase: we always had each others' backs, unconditionally. 

Before last Friday, it had been twenty eight years since we'd all been under the same roof and it was as if we had never left. Special relationships and true friendships work that way. They allow you the latitude to work on various aspects of your life and personality, to forge careers and begin families, and have an impact on a wide variety of people whose lives you come in contact with. Special relationships are true and reflect themselves in your daily interaction with co-workers, family and other friends you may make along the way. Special relationships allow you to re-convene after a three decades long recess and say, 'Now, where were we?'

We are a partner in an IT management firm, a media relations educator, a grad student with a distinguished military career in two different branches of the service, an IT banking professional, and me. We all came from very humble beginnings and gathered in support of another no chance, small town friend who has worked, sacrificed, toiled and fought to become the Director of Athletic Bands at one of the most prestigious universities in the south, if not the country. As I sat there watching his group perform on Saturday, I had immense pride and, as I looked down the line at my friends in the stands, I couldn't help but wonder, 'How does this happen to a bunch of guys like us?' 'How did we evolve from that gang of misfit adolescents, to this?' Then, almost immediately, I realized its because we had each other. We had a built in support system that would not let us fail individually, or collectively, and that support was unwavering.

From the time we entered the house, until we departed for home, it was as if we had been transported back in some imaginary time machine. We made a quantum leap back into the bodies we occupied as impressionable teenagers, and it was awesome. We recounted stories, both happy and sad, called each other out when we were full of it, played pranks on one another, re-fashioned our legacies, lied to each other and added bricks and other fortified layers to our friendships. 

While I may be sad at the moment, I am happy that we have all matured enough to realize, life is unpredictable and doesn't go on forever, and that in this life there is nothing more valuable than true friends and family. These men are representative of both. We have now vowed to make a similar pilgrimage each year, spending a few precious days to honor our friendships and demonstrate the importance of a lasting legacy to our own family and children, in hopes that one day they will be able to experience the same type of fulfillment in their own personal relationships.

Jeff, Mick, Burke, Dan and Bun, you are my brothers and I love you guys. Here's to forever remaining...Pals.

Until tomorrow,

Scott