10 Things I Want You To Know About My Best Friend (He's also on Gather under the name ScottL.)

      With so many releasing "Top" lists and as popular as those lists are, I thought maybe I'd try my hand at it, too.  But I'm not doing my list about me (I can't even think of 5, let alone 10 things about me that others would find interesting).  I decided to do my list about someone I know who I feel like I've known all my life...my best friend, ScottL.  ( If you'd like to check him out, he's a Gather member.)

      Now, Scott is a bit younger than me, but age doesn't matter when it comes to something like friendship.  I met Scott almost 5 years ago when I was going through a stage of change in my life...and he was the only one who stepped forward to welcome me into a whole new world.  That, in itself, was a major factor in making me want to get to know him more.  (If any of you even knew how "strange" I am, it would impress you, too, that someone was willing to look past the wrapping surrounding the whole package to find out what I was all about.)  And I have never been more thankful to have someone enter my life!

      The first night we "met"; we didn't even meet.  We stood next to one another for a couple of hours, but we never even spoke.  I was too scared and angry; he was waiting for me to recognize who he was and react accordingly.  We didn't really "speak" until the next day when our paths crossed on line in a local chat room.  I was not a happy camper after my experience from the night before, but Scott was so sincere about wanting me to give it another chance...to meet him the next time and give it another shot.  I reluctantly agreed...and THAT was the best deicision I ever made.

      We met and got to know one another a little...and the BEST best friendship of my life had just materialized. 

      Over the years, I've gotten to know much about Scott...some things I figured would be as I imagined them, some things I had no idea about and other things that would end up being the total opposite of the way I thought they would turn out to be.  But what was important was that I made a connection with one fantastic person.  I really didn't care about the minors details.  All I knew was that, overall, I now had one person in my life I wanted in it through the end of time.

      Scott was 24 years old at the time, still a pup in many ways wet behind the ears, and I was 10 years his senior.  But age didn't matter...it was only a number as far as I was concerned.  Hanging out with him and getting to know him in so many ways, I developed an instant love for this "kid".  Nothing romantic, but I felt myself opening up and being accepted by someone, despite my appearance and demeanor.  This guy was someone who was willing to look to what was on the inside...and tried to find good in everyone.  And as much as I tried to hide it; he found some anyway. 

      Through his influence, I changed.  I totally changed a lot of things about myself because of him.  I changed my appearance and became a bit more "normal" looking.  I went from heavy metal/goth to somewhat average.  I chopped the long hair off and started paying attention to the way I dressed...fitting into his world moreso.  I changed my way of thinking to accept this "whole new world" I was now exploring.  I changed where I lived.  I changed the type of people I hung around.  I would have even have gone so far as to have changed the type of underwear I wore...had I worn them.

      Scott and I developed one type of friendship that eventually changed; for the better; through our constant interaction.  We went through that"honeymoon" stage...we had our fights and disagreements...but we always kept coming back for more.  At one point, I didn't know if that was because we knew what was truly inside one another...or because we were too stubborn to give up on the other.  I always knew he was a great person...and I wasn't about to let go of what I felt was the best thing that ever happened to my life.  (Trust me, if you had ever been witness to some of our battles, you'd wonder how either of us made it alive to the next day.)  We had the type of friendship where we'd scream and yell at each other for a couple of hours...and then end up falling alseep together on the livingroom floor while discussing what we just went through. 

      We've gone through many changes over the 5 short years we've known one another...MANY changes!  Even my feelings toward him have changed.  I love him more and more each and every day.  I don't know what I'd do without him now.  I try to tell him how I feel (even if he calls me funny names and poo-poo's what I say to him).  I just hope he believes what I say to him is really the way I feel deep, down inside.  But I'm sure he knows what I say is what I mean as I'm the type who says what's on my mind and doesn't hold back, especially when it comes to him.  And I know he's "gagging" as he's reading this calling me all kinds of names.  But it doesn't matter to me.  I really enjoy being able to express my feelings that I've had to supres for for long...and he was the one who encouraged me to release them.

    If you haven't figured it out by now, I can't do a "Top 10" list on Scott.  #1 - there's so much about him, I can't narrow it down to just 10 things...or 100, even.  I could tell you one million and one things about him and still not cover it all.  Hey, he's my best friend...I could talk about him forever...and still not cover everything.  It would take me an entire extra lifetime.  He's the only one I have in my life...and no one could come close to taking his place.  Call me pathetic, but I'd rather have just him than 100 who were less of a friend than he.

      If you haven't been able to figured out ny now that if I consider him to be the best thing that's ever happened to my life; I'm sure all of you would enjoy knowing him, too.  I could write about Scott forever (as each day, there are more and more experiences with him to share)...his "Top 10" list could easily surpass 1,000,000.  The #1 top thing you need to know about him...is that I love him with all my being like I've never loved anyone before...or will in the future.  I could go on and on and on and on, but I invite you to get to know the Scott I've come to know and love.  That's the only way you'll get to know him like I do.

      I know he's cringing and gagging as he reads this.  But he knows.  I try my best to end every conversation we have or visit we share with the words, "I love you".  And I'm telling you this about my best friend now...because next Tuesday is his 29th birthday...and in "our world" he would have already started to celebrate.  And I wanted to make sure I got my "good points" in this week, because next week...when he starts pushing 30; which is over the hill in "our" world...I'm gonna be ripping on him soooooooooooo bad!  I already know this isn't my best writing, because I could write an entire book about him (or a complete library that would be released in volumes, if I were able to tell all the tales I know about him; not to mention the things I don't know), but I do know he's my very best friend.  (At least he is until his birthday rolls around next week!)