Having a Buddy Does Wonders For The Heart

For me it started in kindergarten. Back then your teacher on the first day of school assigned you a buddy. This was the person who you stood in line with, held hands going out to the playground and making sure you came back in safely. When lunch came you held your buddy's hand and marched to the lunch room. It was a assigned life line to the scary new adventures. No matter how scared you were holding hands made it a little better.

I learned that a buddy didn't even have to be human. When humans were ugly to you a buddy could be an invisible friend or a stuffed animal. Mine was named Henry. An invisible frog who lived in a shoe box in my closet. Every night my dad would put me to bed and the process was made easier by the ritual of putting Henry to bed in my closet. To this day I have an affinity for all things frog. The memory of Henry can bring a smile to my face years later.

There is a sense of connection when you have a buddy. Dogs are great buddies, they are always happy to see you, they like playing and love to share meals. In my neighborhood there are a lot of retired people and a lot of buddies. I think if it wasn't for buddies some of these people would never go outside. So it makes me think that buddies give you courage.

Relationships with another human is the ultimate of the buddy companion. The buddy relationship doesn't happen overnight, it takes kindness and grace. If you can keep focused on those 2 things the buddy relationship can evolve and fill in all the nooks and crannies that have been left empty.

So it is with this thought I give thanks for all the kindness and grace I have been given and I wait patiently for my buddy to come home.