Friendship

Prompt: Friendship. How has a friend changed you or your perspective on the world this year? Was this change gradual, or a sudden burst?

Oh, Reverb10, you test me! Sometimes I don’t want to think too deeply – and this is a deep one.

As you may or may not know, I’m a flaming liberal – socially and fiscally. Though I am not one to tow the party line – I do have difficulties with some liberal policies and ideology. I am registered as an Independent and have never voted a “straight ticket.” Most of my close friendships are with people who share my liberal tendencies. But there are some notable exceptions.

Meet my “difficult” friends -

1 – We’ll call her “Jenny.” Jenny is one of my many blogging/Facebook friends whom I have never met IRL. She is an amazing artist and writer and it is those aspects that drew me to her. She has that magical ability to take you to a place you’ve never been with her words – the colors, textures, sounds, smells, the feel of a place or experience. She wraps you in a magic cape that allows you to enter a space through her words alone. And her photography and paintings make me feel alive. Always simple but profound. Jenny is also libertarian leaning. We can look at the same situation and have vastly different views about it. And we have had some pointed online arguments and discussions.

And, yet, even though we have had those discussions – I value her in ways she probably does not even know. Her views engage me, and help me solidify my views. And her near daily postings are almost always one of the highlights of my day – her work and words mesmerize me. And she gets me in ways others don’t, sometimes in just a few words she gives me the encouragement I need to move forward and the validation I need regarding my work and artistic path. Thank you, “Jenny.”

2 – My brother-in-law, Greg. I only have one brother-in-law so I can’t give him an alias. I have known Greg and his partner from a distance for almost eight years. Greg is a balls to the walls Republican. Liberals and all of their ilk are a source of ridicule for Greg. Sometimes his Facebook posts make me ill.

Since we have moved to WV I have gotten to know Greg a lot better. I’ve seen the love he has for my children. I’ve seen the many ways he helps and supports the people in his life. I’ve seen his faith in God. I’ve seen his love for West Virginia. And he’s freakin’ funny! And he shares my joy of cooking. And we’ve had great giggles together while people-watching. And we’ve had some decent talks about issues where we had vastly different views. We have been together in joy and celebration and in mourning and sadness. And I love him. I love the beautiful, amazing, complex person that he is.

3 – We’ll call her “Virginia”. Virginia is a friend from Albuquerque. We met way back in 2005 when I started an ATC group there. Her art is fun and funky and colorful. She has a very different aesthetic from mine, as I tend to be more dark in my artistic viewpoint. Virginia’s kids are just a few years younger than me, and even though we had that generational difference she and I immediately became very close. We traveled together to Artfest in 2007, participated in several shows together, and both co-founded The Wooden Cow Gallery. But politics, is something we rarely talk about. And when we do it almost always ends badly with ruffled feathers and hurt feelings. But I value her so much. We have been together through such amazing creative adventures and those shared experiences bond us for life.

So, I don’t know if this post is about this year – although my new experiences with Greg have all been this year. And it is those experiences that have made this post bubble to the surface. It’s about realizing that, while I generally fall in with people who share my worldview, it’s my “difficult” friends that keep me grounded. They keep me learning, keep me open to other views and opinions. It’s my “difficult” friends that help me sharpen and solidify my own viewpoints.  And it’s those friends who remind me that remind that LOVE is the answer  - underneath all the noise and differences it is LOVE that binds us all.

Related posts: