May God forgive me for what I am about to do. There is a point to what comes next.
I have to admit that I as much as I loath her as a person, I enjoyed Barbra Streisand's performance in the movie "Nuts", a courtroom drama about a prostitute who has killed one of her "customers" and is standing trial for manslaughter. The parents attempt to keep her out of prison by having her declared insane and committed, all against her will. In her parent's lawyer's attempt to showcase her paranoia, they discuss to who she trusts, and the only person in the world she trusts is the security guard standing silently in the corner.
What does this have to do with anything?
Since moving here, I have met a lot of people who I have labeled friends. They say I am their friend. They can count on me for anything. I can count on them for almost nothing. They ask, they receive. I ask, I ask, I ask, I ask, I ask, I give up. Hell hasn't frozen over yet.
Then there are the people in my life that I can't honestly call friends, but that is just because outside of specific circumstances we have no other interaction. They are only aquaintances, but I enjoy their brief company.
For example, the people I see at Shangri La Ranch would probably not notice if I never returned. It woudn't affect their life a bit. Well, they might notice my absense, but life would continue.
At the same time, when they see me, they come over and say hello and offer a hug. When I see them, to say that I am delighted would be a gross understatement. Two people specifically are Cathy and Maxine. Cathy is bubbly and fun to talk to. Her husband Ron seems like a very decent guy. Seeing Maxine just makes my day. I'm not sure what it is but her very presense just makes me smile.
The ultimate point gets back to the movie. Like the security guard in the movie, the people you can trust to be honest are the ones who really don't give a shit about you. The people I invest my feelings in end up causing me the most hurt. The people I seldom see, the ones who really don't have any investment in me, are the most sincere and kind to me.
Btw, Patrick and Dave are excused from this and any similar rants.