My son has a friend. He has several friends, but this relationship is different from the others. For starters, these boys have been friends since before they were born. His mom and I worked together in high school before we ever met our hubbies. Our hubbies came into the picture and became fast friends with common interests. We've known each other for over 20 years now, so it was only the natural next step when the boys were born just 3 months apart for them to become friends, as well.
When the boys were little, they both played cars and trucks and dug in the mud and all those things boys do. They growled, and played make believe, and thought it was especially cool when they got to go to work with the daddies at construction sites. As they grew and got older, their different interests started to emerge, but they remained friends. My son has gone the way of the sports playing guy while his friend is more geared toward gears and computers. They have some overlapping skills like minecraft and legos, and mathematically mindedness, but that's really kind of it as far as natural skills lie.
The amazing thing about their relationship is when these two get together...oh Mylanta. It's hilarious to watch. They do goofy things. They are just silly--really silly! They digs holes. Big holes. These two boys worked on digging a hole for months...because they wanted to and it was part of some fantastical story they were playing. If I had asked them to dig a hole for something it would have been an entirely different story, but when they wanted to, well, they did. They giggle...like cackling hens and it's completely contagious. I just giggle sitting here thinking about it as I write.
The part that gets me about this story is that if they had met for the first time later in life, I don't think they would have naturally gravitated to each other. But because they've known each other their whole lives, they are automatically comfortable with each other and their differences...and it's really beautiful. It makes me think about what I miss out on because I put up a little bit of a wall when I meet someone with a different set of interests, a contrasting personality than my own. Don't get me wrong. I can get along with just about anyone, but the people I draw closer to me have similar personalities and interests to my own.
It's food for thought. Are the people in your close circle of friends very similar to you? Maybe it's worth stretching yourself a little to find a treasure underneath. It might not look like what you thought it would. I love it when I learn things from my kids.
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