010509-1 MY FRIEND JOE.

010509-1 MY FRIEND JOE.

We all use the word friend pretty easily. We all know that a real, true friend is a very rare commodity. I’ve met people here on RB that, even though I’ve only known them a short time, and even though I know that I’ll never meet them face to face, I do consider them friends. But Joe’s a little different.
I first met Joe 25 years ago, soon after my daughter was born. I had just come out of the hospital after having back surgery, and was looking to buy a water bed. I stopped in to a new store that had just opened in my neighborhood to see how they compared to the other places I had shopped. Joe was the owner, and I wound up buying a bed from him.
I told him that with the store being new, if he was planning on doing any on-air advertising, I was trying to break into doing voice work and maybe he could give me a try and see how I would do. A year later I came home and found a note taped to my door asking me to stop by his store and talk to him. I did several spots for him, he asked me if I’d be interested in doing some part-time sales work for him. I was, and we’ve been friends ever since.
I’ve never understood why Joe wanted to be my friend. He certainly doesn’t stand to gain very much, concrete or abstract from the friendship.
But, there are a couple things I do know. I know that in fat times or lean, through thick and thin, and come hell or high water, Joe has been there. I know that when I get down on myself, which I do fairly often, the one thing that will bring me out of it faster than anything else, is to remind myself that Joe has CHOSEN to be my friend, so I can’t possibly be as bad as I might be thinking at the time, and I start to feel better right away.
You might notice a slight resemblance between Joe and a certain portly gentleman with a white beard and a red suit who is right now resting up from his busy season; the only difference I’ve ever seen is that Joe is kinder and more generous.
I hope Joe lives forever, because…the world is just a better place with him in it