With friends like these…

If I had a choice between picking a ball-busting criticizer (who gives both positive [although not as often] and negative criticism) and a soppy pep-talker for a friend who would I pick? Well I’ve already picked. I picked not one but two ball-busting criticizers. Am I offending them? Trust me, I am not. When I whine about having gained a few pounds over the holiday season they smack me on the head and tell me to go to the gym instead of sympathizing with me and offering to be my weight-watchers buddy. Don’t get me wrong, they listen to me for hours at a time when I bitch about my life, but even before the moment is gone we are already thinking of ways to sticking it to the man. And that’s what we all need, a partner in crime, not a boring therapist for a friend (no offense intended). The world doesn’t pat you on the back for trying your very best when you come 2nd in the race that is life. Why should a friend be any different? They shouldn’t. The only difference is that a real friend will support you 100% when you train whereas the rest of the world will try to come up with ways to put you down. Your friend will shield you from the world when it’s demoralizing you, but when the moment is over my friends take it a step further and smack me on the head for not being prepared! And that what we all need. Someone you can trust, someone who will look out for you but won’t let you be a wuss.