With a Little Help From My Friends

Two years ago, on the day after my tummy tuck surgery, my friends came over to visit and to make sure I had survived having eleven pounds of skin removed from my midsection.  I was pretty looped out on drugs, but it still was great to see them.  They came bearing so many flowers that it seemed like they were having a contest to see who could bring the most beautiful bouquet to the poor recuperating patient:

Because they are my best friends and I have known most of them for my entire life, I asked my mom to hide my painkillers before they arrived.  I might have been drugged but I wasn't stupid.  It became evident I had made the right decision when, twenty minutes after arriving at my sick bed, the five of them were cracking open a bottle of champagne and getting toasted while I writhed in pain and hallucinated on morphine.  Okay, I may be exaggerating about the pain, but they certainly did drink some champagne that day.  One more reason for me to love my friends.

By the way, I found these pictures of my hair in the days after that surgery.  I couldn't take a shower for about a week and boy oh boy was I a looker.

That was hilarious to me back in those days, but again, it could have been the morphine.

Anyway, I am incredibly lucky in the friend department.  Your family kind of has to put up with your bullshit, but your friends are signed up with you voluntarily, and that means a lot to me.  They've seen me at my best and my worst and every stage in between, and yet I still get invited to birthday parties.  Because I've known some of my friends my whole life, I can look at one and remember when his mom was my Brownie leader and he was forced to attend meetings even though he is male.  I remember ditching school with one in sixth grade and going to the mall and looking at dirty photography books.  I'll never forget why one had to skip a ski trip due to a lovely and colorful excuse.  Our shared histories blend us together, but one of the happy surprises of my 20s and 30s has been the good decisions my friends have made in choosing partners and wives.  They've become great friends too and that feels like such a lucky bonus.  I'm very happy with their taste in life partners.

Last night at dinner, I looked around the table and knew that everyone sitting there would have my back in any battle.  Even though I can be flaky and basically ignore social obligations when the temperature outside is less than 20 degrees, they still love me.  I don't know if I deserve them, but I am very grateful to have them.

That being said, I doubt there will ever be a day I trust them around any prescription painkillers.  No offense, guys.