Day Four - Even More Friends

Sometimes you can't catch a break.  You think things are as bad as they can be but you're coping.  Unfortunately suddenly it's worse and you realise you're not okay.  You're REALLY not okay.  But if you're me you have a friend who will follow your tears out to the dojang and another one who will show up with strawberries and almost a kilo of chocolate and then you can talk fighting styles, exercise, laugh and eat.  And instead of "why me" your last thoughts before you finally sleep will be "I'm so damn lucky and God I love you guys."

Generally I think guys have an unfair reputation as not being sensitive.  It's certainly not my personal experience.  Rowan is on the right.  He is the husband of Kat and they live with me at the moment while they're building their own house.  Rowan and I were never really close but I've always admired who he is from the distance that is the intense relationship I have with his wife.  Having them move in with me - getting to know him has been one of the unexpected joys.  He has infinite patience and understanding, a killer self-insight and a way of seeing right to the heart of other people and their faults, flaws and failings that would be cutting if it was a gift of anyone less sensitive.  It is a pleasure to rank him on par with his wife in the friendship rankings.

Josh is on the left.  Josh started martial arts at about the same time as I did.  He's done martial arts before, just like me, and it didn't take us long to realise we were pretty evenly matched.  We partnered a lot, pushed each other and often wound up eating dinner or training on at home together after class.  I can't think of any other way that we might have met but two years on I know I can't walk this world without him.  If it wasn't for him I'd literally be dead.