Real Friends

I moved again this weekend. You'd think that it would be like a mantra I'd get tired of chanting. It's true, it feels like I move almost every other year. Perhaps this time, things will be different. Perhaps in striking out on my own, making my own path, I will be delighted to discover my own sense of freedom, revel in my own realizations of independence and the ability to stay in one place for as long as I like-and as long as I can afford the rent.
Truly, I learned who my real friends were. Some of my friends traveled well over an hour to make it to my house. They didn't complain about high gas prices or even the distance, but came with a smile and willing hands to help me load up the moving truck.
I'll refer to everyone by the first letter of their name-to protect their identity. R and his son Z showed up... Z had been at grad night all night long and hadn't gotten even an hour of sleep. R had stayed up with his sick wife (cancer) and had very little sleep of his own ... A had gone on an all-night fishing trip that ended at 4 in the morning, and here she was, just a few short hours later, grinning as she loaded a coffee table and two end-tables into her car. S had stayed up talking to a friend in need until 3:00 a.m.... these are just a few of the stories I heard that day. Despite the fact that they were exhausted, they came anyway.
I don't blame those who flaked out or came up with some lame excuse or another (it's too far or it takes too much time or blah blah blah) but I found myself disappointed for several reasons. The people who upset me the most were the ones who promised to be there, and then came up with some excuse as to why they couldn't make it--at the last minute of course. What happened to the integrity (remind me to write a future blog about this) of doing what you say? The worst quality to have, in my opinion, is flakiness. Because when you tell someone you'll do something, you're only as good as your word.
I also know to invest less energy and time into their friendship in the future. After all, a wise person once told me that the true test of a friendship is the test of need. When you need something, who is there to help you out? Who makes excuses and runs away?
I realized that when a friend is in need, no distance is too great, no task too large, no need too great.
These people are my heroes. They worked their butts off in 100+ degree weather, staying until every last box and piece of furniture was safely in my house. That's after loading it up in the heat, and treking up and down two flights of stairs just to get it to me. Now that, I feel, is true heroism.
Now that the dust has settled (and the unpacking begins) I am looking over that day with a mix of relief and astoundment at the generosity of these people. I hope that the time arises when I can help them out the way they have helped me.
To my friends, my real friends, I thank you. :)