My best friend
Most of us are blessed with a multitude of friends. I know I have more than I deserve. Some are just folks we encounter often that share common interests. Others develop a deeper relationship, and these require some work because they are based on mutual expectations. Tallies may not be discussed, but if one side gives more than the other, then the relationship will suffer. Finally there is the best friend, and I am surprised some folks don’t have one. The best friend possesses no flaws that bother you. They are just an entity you enjoy. There is no tally kept, there are no expectations, only complete and unquestioning loyalty. You may think I am getting a little weird here, but I can tell you that you have a hole in your life if you don’t have someone that meets this description.
Almost everyone who knows me has heard of Wacker at one time or another. It seems like his name comes up sooner or later with everyone I have a relationship with. After introductions and exchanging pleasantries, we either share some common interests or part ways. By the second or third meeting we are sharing outdoor stories and talking about our friends, and that’s when Wacker sneaks into the conversation. He has been a part of my life for more than 40 years, though we share very few common interests. He is an intellectual, even though you would never get that opinion looking at him. He goes to great extremes to hide it, but 10 minutes into a conversation with him and you know it. He remembers everything he has ever learned, and can recite facts for hours on end and never pause to think.
Over the years this has been a great asset to me, having this wealth of mechanical, electrical, and chemical knowledge only a phone call away. It has made short work of a lot of challenges that have come up at work, and play. It also gets very irritating to know he is always right.
When we first became friends it was because of motorbikes. He lived in town, so his mother would bring him out to my parents’ farm to ride with me. He was one of those kids whose body grew faster than he could keep up with, so everything he did looked kind of awkward. That’s when he got the name Wacker.
I could write a book on his accomplishments on motorcycles, airplanes, beach volleyball, handball, and soccer. Suffice it to say, when he caught up with his body after college he became a world class athlete. In fact, today he plays on an Akron rugby team with guys less than half his age.
The reason he came to mind when I started writing this column is because of what happened last Friday night. He came down to watch the mounted horse shoot, and actually got on my horse and rode him around the arena for a while.
I knew he had always been apprehensive being around horses, and I knew the reason. When we were children, I put him on the nastiest pony we had, and thought it was funny watching him get thrown off and kicked. Nothing serious, just ornery kid stuff. It just took that long for me to figure out how much my actions influenced him. Here was the toughest guy I know, scared to death riding a horse any child could jump on. When he got off he actually felt like he had accomplished a great thing. It was enough to make me feel bad for a few minutes, but I got over it.
You see, to me, having a best friend means that’s the one person on the planet that you never have to apologize to, no matter what you do.
Catch you later, Rick
Almost everyone who knows me has heard of Wacker at one time or another. It seems like his name comes up sooner or later with everyone I have a relationship with. After introductions and exchanging pleasantries, we either share some common interests or part ways. By the second or third meeting we are sharing outdoor stories and talking about our friends, and that’s when Wacker sneaks into the conversation. He has been a part of my life for more than 40 years, though we share very few common interests. He is an intellectual, even though you would never get that opinion looking at him. He goes to great extremes to hide it, but 10 minutes into a conversation with him and you know it. He remembers everything he has ever learned, and can recite facts for hours on end and never pause to think.
Over the years this has been a great asset to me, having this wealth of mechanical, electrical, and chemical knowledge only a phone call away. It has made short work of a lot of challenges that have come up at work, and play. It also gets very irritating to know he is always right.
When we first became friends it was because of motorbikes. He lived in town, so his mother would bring him out to my parents’ farm to ride with me. He was one of those kids whose body grew faster than he could keep up with, so everything he did looked kind of awkward. That’s when he got the name Wacker.
I could write a book on his accomplishments on motorcycles, airplanes, beach volleyball, handball, and soccer. Suffice it to say, when he caught up with his body after college he became a world class athlete. In fact, today he plays on an Akron rugby team with guys less than half his age.
The reason he came to mind when I started writing this column is because of what happened last Friday night. He came down to watch the mounted horse shoot, and actually got on my horse and rode him around the arena for a while.
I knew he had always been apprehensive being around horses, and I knew the reason. When we were children, I put him on the nastiest pony we had, and thought it was funny watching him get thrown off and kicked. Nothing serious, just ornery kid stuff. It just took that long for me to figure out how much my actions influenced him. Here was the toughest guy I know, scared to death riding a horse any child could jump on. When he got off he actually felt like he had accomplished a great thing. It was enough to make me feel bad for a few minutes, but I got over it.
You see, to me, having a best friend means that’s the one person on the planet that you never have to apologize to, no matter what you do.
Catch you later, Rick
Published: October 23, 2011
