My Boys

Upon perusing the endless depths of procrastination that the various online communities offer, I came across pictures from a friend of mines bachelor's party. Fortunately it did not appear to involve any lude or crude pictures (in fact I don't believe there were any women anywhere to be seen), but instead seemed to involve little more than a cabin, a lake, a couple of guitars, a vast quantity of beer, and a group of friends.

What amazes me (and which I'll admit significant envy) is that this bunch of guys--my boys--have been friends for years, all of them. Scattered across the country and world, they still seem to be a tight crew, comfortable hanging out with one or ten of the group. The distances don't seem to matter; they seem to keep in touch more or less, and more importantly they get together without having to have a specific reason, just to have fun.

I am envious of a group of friends that large, that close-knit, that laid back. They will always be my boys, having grown up, traveled, been on teams, and even pulled a few crazy stunts with them, but I will never be part of that tight group--and that's okay. I know they all will be warm and welcoming if I ever run into them at a bar, barbeque, or jog down the country roads, and that's fine. But I will always marvel and the social simplicity of having a real GROUP of friends, and wonder exactly where and how I missed the boat on that one.

Who knows, maybe it's a gender thing.