The First Word

The last time I did something like this I made my own word stones out of home-made playdough and ink. I thought about doing that this time, but I'm married to a geek now. I asked if he could write a script that would daily send me a randomly selected word from a list I'll provide. That way, the trigger will arrive daily and (I'm hoping) sort of force me into working on this project even on days I would make an excuse for not reaching into the bag for a word stone (such as, “I don't know where it is”).

Writing a script like that is as easy for Zirpu as washing his hands. He wrote it this morning and when I opened my email, there was today's word - the first word of at least 365 words (though in the spirit of things I should probably say "the first word of 372"). The words will repeat, but he wrote the script so that it won't repeat any words until it's gone through all of them - something I know a bag of stones would not be able to guarantee.

372. Hmm. I might need to add more words to my list. Anyway...

Friends.

NPR has been playing short pieces called "This I Believe." http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138

People write short essays about what they believe in, principles, values, whatever they live their lives by. It's based on a 1950s Edward Murrow radio program and it is one of my favorite things on radio (and I listen to a lot of NPR). When I first heard this program I started thinking, if I were to submit an essay, what would it say? What do I believe?

I believe in friendship. I believe in being a good friend, and I believe in maintaining good frendships, ones that are good for me as well as ones with good friends, if that makes sense. I have let go of the idea that a good friendship must last forever - that's for you, Wendy and Dave, and for you, Sam-O. It took me a while to understand that some friendships are attached to a particular moment... and yet I have several friendships that I'm surprised have lasted as long as they have, through inter-state moves, totally different family statuses, different values and lifestyles.

I've moved away from using the phrase "best friend." I'm lucky in that I have a circle, several circles in fact, of close friends (I'm lucky because I need them and I have them) and some I would call on for one thing, others for another. Likewise, I'm pretty sure that people call on me for one thing and someone else for another. I have been the right person for one job while recognizing that someone else is the right person for another job. I've dropped everything to help a friend and a friend has dropped everything to help me. I've done nothing with friends, and I've done boring things with friends, like cleaning the house and running errands. Everything is better with friendship in it.

The more friendship in the world, the lighter the world. By being a friend, I create comfort and love and connection between myself and my friends and my friends' friends, as well as my community.

Cherish friendship in your breast -

New is good, but old is best;

Make new friends but keep the old,

Those are silver, these are gold.

- Joseph Parry

Friends in 1976, whom I still know:

New friend, 2006, whom I met last summer: