Friends on the Rocks. Cheers, Savages & Cigars.

Call me a “SAVAGE,” but I do think of others. Don't get me wrong, I think of number one and watch out for number two. So, with that being said, I love my dear friends; they’re number one in my book! And we smoke cigars, drink and haler, and contemplate life's mysteries. Together, we will solve the world’s problems with one sip and puff at a time. The more sips, the better the idea is of world domination, or at least my backyard domination for the time being. My good days outnumber the bad, but that’s when a true friend is there during the worst days. My wife always said to be my own best friend, and Lord knows I try to be the best husband, father, and friend. We all have good days and bad, but I will say with my friends, there are always better.

What is it about toasting the glass with your buddies? I think it sets the tone for saying I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now or with anyone else for that matter. I know when we light our stogies, it's celebratory, that ritual that we know we're going to kick back and relax, and we have all the time for each other to talk shop, sports, and nonsense.

It’s all about comradery. Our toasts, the games we play, and the support we give each other. The only truth of the matter is the useless knowledge we share, the horrible ideas we will try, and the fact that our wives know we’ll be useless ourselves by the end of the night. And we’ll toast again to a great day! We are savages of the party! but I will say with wisdom in our older years, more responsibility has come with it, too, so the savage grows up, and the wives know we will behave and still be invited back again.

Passing Time, sharing time, wasting time. I know it’s all a good time with my buds! I still remember my younger days when life was more fulfilling having friends, but never as important now in my older years because of my friends. I know my wife calls it the “BRO-Mance,” she may be right, and you know what? we’ll raise our glasses and cheer for that, too! take another sip and probably write and sing songs about it until the girls give up and walk away because they know there is no way to stop us right now.

We never want the day to end, but we know the clock is ticking, and most days are the same with our routines and day-to-day grind. We “Party Animals” know how to squeeze it all in a day. We give it our all before we give in, we’ll even throw the dishes away, so we don’t have to clean them. I’ve come a long way from late nights at the local gas and sip for midnight snacks.

Good food and good friends mean good times, so I’ll toast that! I love how much I learn from my friends' experiences, and I’m grateful for them sharing the good and the bad with me. From my mower to my car, they have a cure for that, I’m a better chef, meat smoker, fisherman, and mechanic. They pointed me in the right direction for many decisions. They may have suggested a good cigar and a new beer that they thought I would like. They got me out of slumps when times were grim and introduced me to something like kayaking when I wanted to wallow and stay in bed because of my bad day. Thank God for them. Friends are good for the soul and for your survival. I’ll drink to that and to them all my life. They got my back, and I have theirs.

My friends may not be perfect, but their steaks can be.

Day turns into night, and my friends are still there, and I’m sure yours are too. It’s unfortunate, though, that we age. I have no control over that, so that is ok, but we hear from time to time how we lost a friend or a friend of a friend, and it’s sad. You feel for them, and it’s hard to fix hearts that are missing people. Time has healed mine, and that seems to be the norm for the response that time will help with the pain; it’s a nice gesture, but at that moment, we know it hurts a lot!

It’s never a wasted day with our crazy and good friends. Maybe I even got a little bit smarter at the end of the day. My wife may disagree with this response because she witnessed the jack-ass moments of many of our adventures and outings, but we survived to tell the tale, and we’ll do it even better the next time.

Our friends come in many different shapes and sizes, attitudes, and opinions, and all are forgiven because they are one of our own. Our journey through life even brings us close to meeting a best friend; we are the lucky ones that make claim to that, they are there for us through thick and thin. My best friend came in the form of a dog, my best friend and most consistent, loyal companion was a Bichon Frise, the runt of the litter. He was a momma boy, but we had the greatest 15 years together. Time always reveals what you truly mean to someone, and that saying hits me hard and touches my heart when I think of my best friend. He was another son of ours, I have never been so gutted when he passed. 2024 has been one of the most difficult years of my life and losing my best friend was the tipping point for already making it a disaster. Two things helped me along the way: my other best friend, my wife, who is my rock, and an old saying that I heard a long time ago. “First, it hurts, then it makes you stronger.”

My old friend made me become a better version of myself. We have invited a new friend to the family; She is a handful and a “Savage.” Someday, I hope we become best friends.

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