A TRUE FRIEND....ACCORDING TO ME

So, I just went through my third Halloween here at OU. Yea, literally just got done with it. Did I get wasted? Not really. I've learned that of all the days to get sloppy, Halloween is not the day. The student population almost triples, the amount of police double, and the amount of arrests, well, let's just say there are more than most weekends. So what does one do on a Halloween night in Athens? Good question. The answer: enjoy yourself. That could mean get sloppy drunk, it could mean go uptown and look at ridiculous costumes, it could mean go to a dance at Baker Center or it could simply be just have a good time with some friends. For me, this Halloweenwas an odd one. Let me tell you why.

First of all, this Halloween started earlier than others. Startig in mid-afternoon with a power hour, I got the ball rolling. Yes, I didn;t have much in my stomach but it felt right to get going early. I enjoyed the time, chillin with a best bud and his friend, just casually drinking while watching some college football. I mean, seriously, you can't ask for much more. Then, we all decided, let's take a cat nap and wake up when more peeps get here. That ended up meanig have them wake us up when they walk in unexpectedly but hey, whatever works.

The time with the new peepswas kind of a blur because well, to be frank, it wasn't that much fun because of a weird feeling in the place that kind of dampened the mood for me. The sad thing is that the feeling should not have affected me but for some reason it did and as a friend, I felt like I should back him up completely and help him out. So when it was time to leave the apartment for the Halloween festival uptown and elsewhere, I was glad to see a group of people, especially one person, go with us to go have a good time.

Instead of recapping the enitre rest of the night, I'm gonna fast-forward to the part that matters. The part where I began to figure out what a true friend is. I know, it's odd that I figure this shit out on a night when I am supposed to not remember anything but again, Halloween isn't a big deal for me. Anyways, the moment came when I, self-admittedly, brought up something that I was completely wrong about. That's when my friend did something I didn't really expect him to do: tod me I WAS WRONG. I kinda took a step back on this, halfway thinking he was joking. I mean, did my own friend NOT support my decision? I was actually getting mad and then I talked to his best friend and after talking to him, it made sense. Not only was I wrong, but he was proving to me that he was a true friend.

So what is a true friend? Well, get rid of Webster's Dicionary and just read my take on this. In my mind, a true friend is one that respects you. Of course, this is an obvious one but sometimes, this can be tougher than you think. Friends do some dumb things AND believe in some odd things, things you may completely disagree in. The trick is though as a good friend, you back them up in what they believe in. UNLESS, bringing me to my second point, they are completely wrong. This can be tough for friends, because when you have a strong friendship with someone, the last thing you want is to end it over a dumb argument or criticism. But when a friend criticizes my thought process or points an inconsistency in my morals, it means a lot to me because that means they care about what I'm doing. They could easily turn their head OR just be a bobblehead doll and just nod to everything I say. Thankfully though, there are true friends who are willing to speak up and tell you things straight up, without reservation. The last thing about a true friend is that they're always there for ya. In this day and age, it's tough to find that kind of commitment to a friendship, especially once relationships with boyfriends/girlfriends get involved. It's jut pretty damn cool to know there's always a friend you can talk to about anything, whether it pertains to school, work, religion, family, friends, or just whatever.

So what does this all mean? I'm not really sure. I don't know ifI have really spelled out anything but I think I have helped clarify what exactly goes behind a true friend. True friends are hard to ome by and then even harder to keep. Stuff happens, no matter how big or small, that can ruin a friendship within seconds. That's why it is so important to have those best friends you can talk to whenever needed. For those moments in life where you need a second opinion on something or just want to vent about anything, having that true friend makes the expereience all the more better.

For now though, I digress because of time considerations but I do want to remind all those reading this that being a true friend means more than just leaving Facebook wall message. It means so much more. HAKUNA MATATA.