Real Wealth

I have realized over the last few weeks that, even though I have no money, I am by one measure a rich man. If one were to measure wealth by the quality of one's friends, then I am one of the richest men in the world.

Most of my friends I have known since high school. Many of them I have known since grade school. My high school crew are all like brothers to me. When things went badly, when everyone else - my parents, my family, my teachers - abandoned or betrayed me, my friends were there for me. My friends have stuck by me through thick and thin, through some bad times and some apalling behaviour on my part. My parents cut me loose, the rest of my family turned their backs on me, but my friends stayed true for more than 20 years now.

I have very little money. I work a loser job for mediocre pay. I own nothing of value - no house, no car, no investments. I live paycheque to paycheque. Yet I have marvellous, wonderful friends who inexplicably love me in spite of my flaws. I am truly lucky.

Money comes and goes. Owning stuff does not buy happiness. But great friends are real wealth, and I have many great friends. By that measure, I am one of the luckiest and richest men on the face of the earth, and for that I am truly thankful.

I guess what I'm saying is that even if I have nothing else, I have great friends, and they're worth sticking around for. I sincerely hope that you have at least one friend like that. If you do, stick around for their sake, even if you feel your own life seems hopeless sometimes.