Today I met my childhood best friend who I had not seen for 18 years. I have known him since we were 4 years old. He was my next-door neighbor and we would play together after school every day. We would play for hours making secret hideouts and drawing on the wall.
We were in the same class since kindergarten. Same soccer team. We did everything together. When we got into our teenage years, he moved to another school and we saw less of each other. And then one day I lost contact completely.
Until a couple of weeks ago when I met him at a café. I stared at him for a long time as I wasn’t sure if it was him. It was him! He came over and said “hey mate” smiling. I asked for his number so we could catch up for a beer.
One week passed and I decided to ask him. I was nervous and I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do. However, he replied saying he “would love to meet”.
We had the most amazing time going through our childhood memories. We laughed at the smallest moments we both remembered. Haha! Tears of joy came from my eyes. I met my best friend😊
As we talked, I realized I was holding a lot of judgments about him. Judgments about money, success, and the way he lives his life.
For example, I always thought I was better at sports than him. So, when he started talking about what he does for exercise, I immediately thought “well, I’m better than you”. And at that moment, the energy between us went down, my proud ego blocking us from being one.
I noticed even when I spoke my strong opinion, he accepted and went with the flow. He didn’t put his opinion on me. At the end of the night, I sat alone in my car grateful and dumbfounded.
What have I done?
I’ve lived my whole life in my own little world.
Obsessing about money, honor, blah, blah.
I forgot we were once brothers playing together.
