They Come And They Go.

Looking back on all the people I've met along Life's journey, I have come to realize a particular mantra that I have heard again and again. "Friends come and friends go". I don't know to whom the phrase is attributed, but it is poignant when thinking of all of those who have gone their separate ways. 

I see Facebook friends state that they will be "cleaning house", a colloquialism for unfriending people on their Friends List. I, too, will be doing this soon. 

Growing up I befriended a kid who I had hit in the head with a chunk of concrete. Geno and I became best friends after I was told to apologize for what I had done. Geno was one year older than me and one grade higher in school and we became best friends. I was new to Hamilton and there is like this unwritten rule that new kids must do what they can to fit in with the cool kids. Geno was not one of the cool kids. 

We had quite the imagination. We often rummaged around in old abandoned houses. We built forts down by the river. The whole time we pretended we were not from earth and we were exploring the world. Among the neighborhood kids was one morbidly obese girl. Her entire family suffered some genetic disorder and they were all obese. Geno and I, walking home from school, imagined we had machines that were propelled by her flatulence and we would switch into turbo mode, running down the street making fart sounds all the way. Not our finest hour, so to speak. Later on in life I did befriend the obese girl who had already been part of the neighborhood gang of kids. 

Geno's family would go to the circus every year. One year, I was invited to go along. My mom bought me a ticket and allowed me to go. It was the only time I'd been to a circus. There's a lot of good memories, no matter how odd or how cool the things we did were. 

The summer before Junior High, I spent time learning what was in store for me from Geno, who had already been through 7th grade there. Junior High was like a rite of passage before going up to High School. I learned a few things from Geno, but I also learned that he was not going to be there. Geno's parents were moving his family to Phoenix. 

It was my Junior High years that taught me a lot about friends coming and going. Hamilton Montana was always in flux with people moving in and moving away. Geno wasn't my only friend to move away. 7th and 8th grade became an era where I changed. I made changes to not be picked on so much and started to fit into other cliques. 

In 8th grade, a new kid from Utah moved into a house just down the street from me. Shannon was from a family who work in the aerospace industry. He's grandmother was a civilian working at Hill Air Force Base. I was one of the first to welcome him to the neighborhood. He was eager to show off some of the toy aircraft he had and we spent hours playing with Styrofoam planes and one gas-powered toy helicopter. 

In my neighborhood there was a family that owned a large chunk of land by the river. I had a good relationship with them, especially the daughter, Dyan Osterbauer. I would get permission to cross their property to get to the river. Shannon and I used the wide open fields to play with the gliders and the helicopter. When we were done with those we'd go swimming in the river. We became best of friends. 

Shannon signed up for Hamilton Bronc football our freshman year. With some prodding, he got me to sign up for football too. I had only played baseball when I was younger and now I was going to learn football. I did alright as a frosh but it didn't last long. 

Shannon's parents came upon some hard times in Hamilton. His dad worked at the Rocky Mountain Laboratory and was fired after a lady complained sexual harassment. Ron, Shannon's dad, had just cleaned an area when this woman threw a gum wrapper on the floor and refused to pick it up. Ron picked it up and stuffed it in one of the pockets on her blouse. Because of that, they decided to move to Florida where they had family that could help them out. 

Shannon and I stayed in touch for some time, but just like the others who moved away, we eventually lost touch. 

People certainly do come and go in our lives. They influence us at a certain level and make us who we are. Shannon opened up the world of aviation for me and that was the career I chose. Geno helped me realize you can't judge a book by its cover. I appreciate having them as friends and I realize the indelible mark they have left on my life. 

As I clean house on Facebook, I realize the indelible mark you have all left on me. I also realize the divergent path we walk along and I know we are drifting apart. 

I also realize that not many will click and read this Blog, but that's alright. Those of you who read this whole thing are probably those who will remain on my Friends List.