Life, Partly

There is an old Oscar Wilde quote that goes, "True friends stab you in the front." This has and always will be the friendship philosophy of Christopher D. Bennett. But there is a better quote by a different writer that best encapsulates what happened to me on a morning a few weeks back:

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose."

Tennessee Williams

I have a few rituals I perform every morning when I get to work. But the most important is when I walk past Corey Schmidt.

I stop and I say, "Good morning friend."

He answers back, "Good morning friend."

I have to admit that this simple act of acknowledging a friend has made some people confused, angered and jealous.

Steve for example is jealous that I do not stop by him every morning to say those 3 simple words. I have pointed out to him that I always stab him in the front, but that wasn't enough for him. So now I make time during his lunch break to listen to him regale me with stories from the old country (Mason City).

For example, he told me the story of when his dad took him to visit his grandpa at work. Only it isn't a heartwarming story. His grandpa worked on the kill line in a slaughterhouse. You can imagine what watching cattle get strung upside down and having their throat cut can do to a small child's psyche. It is why Steve is the way that he is.

But this isn't a tale of jealous or killing floors. This a tale of friendship.

One morning I came into work and stopped and said, "Good morning friend."

Corey retorted back, "I have something for you." Then he handed me a grocery bag.





It was no longer a good morning. It was a great morning!