Friends - 2

My friend Peaceful Ruler is very sporty. He is into canoeing, swimming, running and cycling. I asked him to give me a few pointers on swimming. Peaceful Ruler likes things to be perfect and constantly strives to do everything he does as perfect as possible. He is a very good teacher and I must admit that my swimming technique improved with leaps and bounds. He has the heart of a lion, but the body of a fox. Had he been tall with a larger frame, he would have been first in every sport he participates in. He is one of the most courageous people I know. He has drive and he starts what he finishes. Some people find him to be fussy. I tend to like quirky people however. I think it is because I generally have an aversion to the mundane. I use my comfort zone only to regroup and to prepare my next launch into the unknown. I find that if I stay in my comfort zone too long, someone moves my cheese. I rather prefer to move before that happens. Lamb are friends with Victorious People’s wife Rough Island, and with Peaceful Ruler’s wife, The Lord Increases. I also get along friends’ wives. We are fortunate in that sense. Many times one cannot stand your friends’ wives/husbands/partners. We have a saying in Afrikaans which literally translates to – we both ate seven bags of salt together – meaning we shared hardships. This is to a greater and lesser degree applicable to all 3 my best friends, Army Man, Victorious People and Peaceful Ruler. Francis Hodgson Burnett wrote in The Little Princess “My adversity tried you and proved how nice you are” or something to that effect. Real friends are those who stand by you when you suffer hardship – it is the old truth. It is not possible to express in words what Army Man has meant to me in my life. He is the one person who has always been there.