Tonight I took one of my friends to dinner as a belated birthday gesture, I've been busy and wanted to do this before my vaca. I'm SO glad that I did. We've known each other five years now, and he's always been there for me - especially through 2008, when I needed it most. This year, his life took a turn for the worst, and he's been through hell. I think losing a loved one is at least a devastating experience, and losing two in one year - well that's hard to even comment on. That was only the beginning.
He dealt with his problems with drugs to "forget", so this year made his habits much worse. As a friend, I couldn't do much aside from checking on him, and making sure that he kept his life on track. He never fell behind, but I could tell that he was losing his soul. I was there for him, but I never knew how else to help aside from support. He was exhausted, stressed out, confused, and barely holding on at times. His only escape was drugs.
I don't think I can find words that do the feeling justice - the feeling of seeing him turn around completely and become TRULY happy. He's been clean for weeks, is looking healthy and rested. He's found a love interest with potential, and has finally pulled himself completely out of the gutter. Things are going well for him at work, and he's resolving other issues in his life. He joined a gym, and really just seems like a much happier person.
Thinking about how far he's come is really touching. And I'm just so ridiculously happy for him. I always thought that my 2008 was bad, perhaps even the worst of anyone I knew. But I know for a fact that he's gone through worse this year, and he recovered from such a huge fall so very gracefully. Seeing this transformation is one of the best feelings ever. I'm not a religious person, but it just feels right to end this with an amen. SO, amen.
Awesome, this is a inspiring story. It's great to have friends who stand by you when you're down. Glad to hear of his newfound happiness.
ReplyDelete