A Good Friend Of Mine

Lately, things have just been chaos at every turn. In the past few years, I seem to wake up with every intention to get my work done, but it just never happens.

This morning, I woke up and went to start my vehicle, but the battery was dead. I went to the nearest battery store and got one and went to work with all intentions of getting things moving on the first day of the week.

Well, I drove to my furthest stop, and I just made it to my first stop, and my wife called me to tell me one of my best friends had a massive heart attack and was in the ICU.

I was very upset when I heard this because I have known this boy since he was a baby. We grew up together and he is the person who is responsible for me meeting my wife. Talk about some really sad news.

Right as I pulled up to the job, I saw that GE was breaking out to the upside, and I was momentarily smiling from ear to ear. Afterall, that is what I have been waiting to happen for many years. However, that smile was quickly erased, and a feeling of sadness filled my heart.

I have seen so many people who have been in ICU lately, and when I saw him today, I can’t begin to describe how helpless I actually felt. My family went up there to visit him, and a few other friends were there also. Man, I can truly say that it takes a certain type of person  to work in those conditions. the nurse who is taking care of my friend is very nice and compasionate. She explained what happened from the time the EMTs got to his house to the moment we were visiting.

I feel completely drained after that visit, but my mind is still racing. I can’t stop thinking about how long he was without oxygen, did or does he feel any pain, what is his prognosis, and how am I going to react to whatever outcome occurs in the future.

It is in times like these that we see our mortality. When I visited the ICU, I was visiting a deer friend who is normally very happy, considerate, and generous. My kids have always been very fond of him and my wife always enjoys his company. He is our go to guy for every get together because he is the BBQ expert. Man can he cook BBQ!  My son is having his birthday party next week, and George was supposed to be the BBQ guy. I guess that won’t be happening now. There are a lot of things that won’t be happening in the near future. I guess we won’t be cooking oyster poboys or watching “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” anytime soon. Wow!   We used to really wear that movie out. I hope we can watch it again soon.

Although his outlook does not look good at the moment, I am hopeful that things will improve. I do not have any choice but to be hopeful because I want my friend to recover and be able to hang out with me like we always do. Man, I wish I would have visited more often or even called more, but life always seems to get in the way.  Some petty job or completely unimportant situation can always get in the way of keeping in touch with friends from our past, and I must say, it happens very often in my case. However, I try my absolute best to do everything possible with my wife and my kids.

I do hope that my friend gets better, and I hope to soon be able to enjoy the old times all over again. My memories are very sweet, but I want to continue to make new memories with my very dear friend. I ask that anyone reading this post say a prayer for my friend and remember to tell all your friends how important they are in your lives. The last time I spoke with him was on the 23rd, and I am having a heck of a time remembering all of the conversation. I do not know if it is because I was really tired when we spoke or if my mind is just jumbled up at the moment. I do know that we talked about St. Patrick’s day and the parades and how he wished he could have made it so that he could BBQ. I can’t remember if he called me brother that day, but I can imagine he did because he always told me he felt like we were brothers (That is another story for another day). However, I do know that the conversation was as usual, and that is a good thing. I guess I wish that it would have been more meaningful or more profound because that is the last time I spoke to him. Also, the month of March has been bittersweet for me for the last few years. Although many birthdays are in March for our family, my dad passed away three years ago tomorrow and now my friend is fighting for his life.

I am tired now, but I can’t sleep because my mind is racing. I do not even know if my thoughts on this page are even coherent. I hope you excuse me if that is the case. Well, it is getting late, and my words are becoming scarce. Tomorrow is another day, and I am praying that it is better. Either way, I am going to get up as usual and try my best to get things done, and along the way, I am going to pray for my friend to recover from his current condition. What else can I do? 

Seeking Dividends
AKA — DividendDreamer