“My Friend” Henry is one of the friendliest guys I’ve ever met. He just started showing up outside my door a few days ago, and I can’t even walk to the road without hearing, “My Friend William, how are you?” What made me a little nervous at first has actually started to bring a comforting smile to my face each time I leave my house. I’m almost more uncomfortable now when I don’t see his face. The other day, I was pouring myself a cup of coffee when I saw him out of the corner of my eye. I called him over and asked him if he wanted a cup, and I’m pretty sure that bought my way into his heart.
He wrapped his arm around me and we just walked around like that for a good 30 minutes. Whenever we passed someone, Filipino or American, he would introduce me to them as his friend (even though I already knew all of them and he knew that). There was just a sense of pride that came over him, and I have to admit, I felt pretty good myself. With my coffee long gone, he was still nursing every last drop and still not letting me out of his grasp. I just laughed as he even started walking me around and introducing me to the World Racers that I had already been working with all month. We all had a good time with it.
Now, whenever he walks into the room, it’s almost a competition to hear who will be the first one to yell out “My Friend!” Honestly, I think I take this phrase for granted all too often. How meaningful and valuable is a true friend? But even more than that, how much better would it be if we actually treated everyone like a friend? I know it sounds a little idealistic, optimistic, and a little far fetched, but the first time Henry saw me he called me his friend and i didn’t nothing to earn that. Over the next few days, he continued to call me that and treat me like a friend until I just had to get to know who this guy was. Now that I have, I kind of like it.
Think about it. What if today, you saw every stranger as a friend instead of a faceless image of someone you’ll never talk to? Let’s make it easier, what if you just saw one of those strangers as a friend and treated them like it? They may be skeptical and you may never make a lasting impact. But on the other hand, you may make a friend and even start a lifelong impact. What do you really have to lose? People give me blank stares and weird looks all the time, but I still have more than enough people that go beyond that to write 262 blogs about. These are just the ones you get to hear about…
