Head Above Water

Let me tell you about loyalty. 

You see that rad human being right there on the left? That’s Randi, and she’s one of the absolute best human beings to ever walk the Earth.  Almost two years ago, Quidditch put us in the same immediate vicinity, and after several half-hearted attempts at small talk, we lurched our way into each other’s lives. Little by little, this person showed up when nobody else did. This person took care, kept things real, and didn’t ask for a single thing in return. Not once. In such a short amount of time in the grand scheme, this individual stood up, stood out, and became one of the few people on this planet that I truly can’t imagine living without. Often denouncing cola, complacency, and insincerity all in the same sentence, she has taught me a lot about the power and brilliance of being a loyal person.  

The age-old pop-punk adage about friends has etched it’s permanence in the museum of cliches, but let me ask you something. When was the last time you heard/sang/wrote a song about friends and truly felt it? When was the last time that those often-rehashed lyrics about having the best companions on your side really meant something? Despite the Fall Out Boy tattoo on my leg and the countless shows I’ve been to, I can count the number of times those words have rang true on one hand. Less than five times. Down to the goosebumps on my forearms, I could tell you precisely ever last detail of the moments when those words really meant something to me, and who they were about.

I could tell you how, last summer, when one of my worst days hit me out of nowhere, I got a text from Randi right as ‘Local Man Ruins Everything’ came on. I could tell you how, right before that photo was taken, we’d just sang ‘Wasting Time (Eternal Summer)’. I could tell you how, just a few weeks ago, I got a noogie from this homie while we watched a little band play a little ditty called ‘The Wild Bunch’ live. Most of all, I could tell you how, when I stood amongst a sea of strangers down in Florida and The Swellers launched into ‘The Best I Ever Had’, there was nobody I wanted to share that goofy smile with more.

I could tell you how you don’t know what true loyalty is until you’ve met Randi, but there aren’t enough words in every known language to adequately describe what knowing her truly feels like. Because she’s one of the best I’ve ever had, and when I say that my friends are the best there ever were, nothing can take that away from me. 

Plus, she’s received BasedGod’s blessing. How are you gonna argue with that?

(tl;dr my friends over you)