On celebrations, friendships, and BBQ's

I've lamented a lot about the friends of my youth. I know a lot of people who are still very close with people with whom we went to grammar, junior, and high school. They started the friendship because they sat next to each other in class, or because they played together in recess, or were on the same sports teams together. It's a lifelong connection, one that makes sense.

I only have one friend from childhood. I've written about Shay before. Our connection began in junior high when we were in gym class together. Something just clicked for us, and while we've had peaks and valleys in our relationship, it's endured the years. For whatever reason, all but this one friendship from my youth has fizzled. For me, it was the guys I met in college that have continued to last.

Tonight, as I sat in the backyard of my good friend--and original screenwriting partner--Mike Rizzo, and watched as our children played together, I realized how important friendships are in my life. I'm sure I knew this before, but when life gets in the way, and you cannot spend time with people you've previously spent so much time with, you tend to forget. Or I do, at least. Here we were: my family, Mike's family, Javier, Leslie, and Sophia, and Dave, Maddox, and Payton, hanging out, enjoying each other's company, laughing, talking, encouraged by the children's play. It was inspirational, in a sense.

We talked about what we might do for my 40th birthday. We talked about celebrations. In reality, while my number will be the one that brings us together--much like Mike and Laura's BBQ invitation brought us all together today--we'll be doing more than celebrating me. We'll be acknowledging our bond. We'll be furthering our connection. We'll be saying, "Yes."