What About Your Friends?

Recently people have come to me with tales of friendship issues that would make anyone shudder. Misplaced priorities, lying, selfishness all at levels above and beyond my comprehension. These people are all just regular joes, with nothing about them that screams: "I deserve to be mistreated...", yet they were. Totally out of the blue and unannounced these people have had their friendships, shredded to little pieces & discarded in some of the most disrespectful of ways.

No one is perfect & everyone has done something they regret to someone, and people know that it was a one time thing, a simple misunderstanding or lapse in judgment. But some things are just WHO people are and TRUE testaments to their character. There comes a point in time when you have to really decide if friendships are worth salvaging and when you take inventory of the friendship you realize there is more trash than treasure. When it comes down to it, you want a friend that respects your space, your time, and your feelings. You sometimes need them to be ride or die & some people are just not capable of doing so. You sometimes need them to reign you in & some people need more reigning than you have rope for.

I am going to regret even mentioning this name here, but OJ Simpson is a PRIME example. Who are these friends of his? Who are these people that are NOT discouraging his hair-brained schemes & supporting his plans whole-heartedly. There is ride or die & there is ride or DUMB! Regardless of WHAT happened in that room in Vegas, OJ & his friends did something DUMB! Guns or no guns, invited or uninvited, set up or happenstance... one thing cannot be refuted, something DUMB happened! And no one said to the other, maybe this isn't such a good idea. No one considered the consequences their actions would have on themselves.

All it takes sometimes is a LITTLE forethought. Friendship is about thinking of the GROUP. It involves being concerned about not JUST you. What I have been confronted with this week has been on BOTH sides of the spectrum... you have the severely selfish friends & the blindly selfless friends.
As for our dear, best good friend Orenthal, maybe jail is just the thing he needs to EVALUATE his life & find balance. And his so-called friends, need an intervention... could they have been THAT desperate for money & fame?

Life is about balance as are friendships... finding that medium. The balance is not the same in EVERY life or friendship. And if you find it hard to maintain that balance with someONE, maybe it's not YOUR fault. If you find it hard to maintain that balance with EVERYone, it probably IS your fault.

THINK ABOUT IT!

The Layman's Kanye

I have a friend, that is really and truly born under the same moon as Kanye West. Kanye West is infamous for handling his "issues" like a toddler. I call them "issues" because MOST people don't really UNDERSTAND his problem. He hoots & hollers and boycotts and speaks out, but about WHAT? The only LUCID opinion Kanye has voiced in EONS was what he said about BritBrit. About how she is being exploited & such... but that is for another time.

My point is, baby, if all of your issues are handled by you rambling on & on & on, yet no one understands why; your valid points will be overlooked, ignored & disregarded because you have fed us so much of your Chopped Word Salad slathered in Ego Ranch Dressing no one's buying it anymore.

This goes out to my boy & Kanye both. Pick your battles & your words carefully. Because there will be folks that will get tired of trying to figure out who you are fighting & why. I am sure Kanye's ego & slick-assed mouth has caused him to burn a bridge or 3 on his way to the Promisedland, so be careful following in his footsteps.

Much like Kanye, I am certain my friend's issues are valid, but the WAY they deal with them, honestly makes me not care. That's not such a bad thing, I mean, I have my own issues to handle and I'm not big on airing them out so publicly as to cause a scene. Besides, if memory serves me correctly, their issues aren't new nor are they pressing enough to raise the threat level or anything. But, for whatever reason, this is how they choose to "solve" most of their "issues" since I have known them. So, this recent episode doesn't surprise me as much as it disappoints me. Much like Kanye, I thought maybe after some time they'd be able to sit back and reflect on what the REAL issue is & understand it for what it is. But, no... Kanye hasn't learned nor has my friend.

Stop taking your ball & going home! Stay & hang out at the courts, make note of those who imitate your style and those who won't pick you for their team... there's more to it than what YOU think.

BTW, laid back is muuuuuch more swaggalicious than riled up... BELIEVE THAT!