Hearts and Minds

They say that the friends you make in High School are some of the strongest bonds you will ever make. I don't know who "they" are, but I believe this, and it makes sense. And besides, I have never been one to dwell on "them" and become overly concerned with exactitude. Life is a great big gray area with large oceans of uncertainty.

The people you went to High School with are the people you learn to drink with, kiss with (okay, so maybe I kissed a few girls in grade school, but I wasn't any good at it, and usually got slapped), learn with and begin all the really important adult activities to come later like group dynamics, management, competition, sex and sucking up. These are your peeps.

The interesting thing about it is that there are plenty of people who go off after High School and do things or become something that you could never have predicted in school. But for the most part, those you were really close to will still be there for you when you meet up years later, and the initial bond will carry you through to a re-birth of that heady, fun and exciting time when you skipped class together and chased pretty girls with the dawning recognition of what you wanted to do to them, without the courage or knowledge of how to make that happen.

But the special thing that can really stun you, is when you find someone who you dated, went steady with, or just knew you were deeply in love with at the time, and circumstances allow you to re-open that door. Bada-Bing! The sheer newness/oldness of it can really slap you and leave you staring into the headlights like a deer in the road. But then the car swerves and misses, and you are left standing in the clear light with the realization that those feelings have returned, all the power of that young love gets lit up, and is fueled by all the things you have learned as an adult. All of the pain of your adult relationships gone bad, along with all the exquisite sweetness of those that brought you joy give you a view that makes the whole situation seem like a dream on a roller coaster ride. And for me, it brought a huge smile to my face, and the complete knowledge that a new fire had just arisen from the coals of one I had no idea still smouldered. I was stoked.

I find it crazy stupid ironic that the single greatest thing we all seem to agree on is an intangible that resides purely in the mind, attributed to the heart and essential to true happiness–the power of love. For all you Christians out there, please refrain from telling me your religion is more important than family, love and the people you care for. You are fooling yourself and you appear silly to the rest of us. Don't get me wrong, I respect your beliefs, I just don't buy that it is the most important thing in your life. if it is, you are missing out, bigtime.

The power of love is the thing we all say, that when you go, is the only thing that matters. The people you love and those relationships are all that matters yet we cannot touch it or see it, and it is like the flame in a campfire that can warm and comfort or bring painful burns. Huey Lewis had it right:

It don't take money and it don't take fame

Don't need no credit card to ride this train
Tougher than diamonds and stronger than steel
You won't feel nothin' till you feel
You feel the power, just the power of love
That's the power, that's the power of love

This power is why we move through our days making money, closing deals, eating lunch, buying our groceries and listening to music. We are using life to find the things which build a strong heart and comfort the mind. If we could only recognize that this is the thing which drives and enriches us, we could find so much more value in all the mundane things we do to get by every day. But society and the living needs always consume our time, and our desire for love and friendship turn to dreams. Sad but true daily, everywhere.   So when that second chance comes to you, and a reconnection stuns you into clarity, nothing can be allowed to deter you. Seek the power of love with all your being, and breath it in with great gusto. Let it fill your mind and strengthen your heart for it will be the thing you will miss the most when your time comes. Drink it in now and never look back.