The joy of friends visiting from afar

學而時習之、不亦說乎。有朋自遠方來、不亦樂乎。人不知而不慍、不亦君子乎

"Isn't it a pleasure to study and practice what you have learned? Isn't it also great when friends visit from distant places? If one remains not annoyed when his greatness is not recognized in his time, isn't he a sage?"
~ Confucius, The Analects Chapter 1, verse 1.

I remember studying the Analects when I was in secondary school. To a teenager who was preoccupied with being "cool", archaic adage from a bygone era was the equivalent of being "uncool", and so aside from memorizing it for the sake of passing a test, I have all but forgotten this particular verse. It is therefore quite an enlightening experience when the relevance of this verse was made clear to me through the simple act of hosting friends over this pass weekend. It was as if I have discovered a long buried gem.

Being a student, I have dove into my studies and allowed my sense of self worth, my identity, uniquely linked to how well I do academically. So much so that I have forgotten who I was as a person. I have forgotten the Andy that had earned him the friendship of many amazing individuals. The Andy that was somebody to someone and not just a letter grade or a decimal point. The Andy who enjoyed hanging out, the Andy who liked to laugh and to make other people smile, the Andy who was attentive to little things in life and loves to share them with friends. That was the Andy who was special, that was the Andy who was happy. Oh, I miss that Andy. So it was such a pleasure to catch a glimpse of him, revived by the presence of friends who brings out the best in him, this pass weekend.

Yes, I suppose it is weird to speak of myself in third person, but that is what having friends over do to you. Friends, true friends, are the ones who accept you for who you are, they allow you to be yourself without pretense, without the need to impress, without guile. True friends allow you to relax, take a step back and be happy with yourself for being you, for being someone worthy of the love and joy of friendship, no strings attached. People always said to me it is important to be myself, well, myself is the Andy who loves his friends. The Andy who likes to be there for friends, to be with them. I am Andy who is ever mindful and grateful of his friends.

I am somebody because my friendship is valued, I am someone because I am worth knowing. My life is a celebration because I am fortunate to have earned the respect and love of great individuals. If in my pursuit of my own personal goals I have neglected you, my friends, I hpe you can forgive me. (If I in my pursuit seemingly have forgetton you, may you not in turn forget me...) Therefore, I pledge this, wherever I am, may there always be a place for my friends to come visit. So if ever you are in the neighborhood, or in a need of a place physically and or metaphysically, look me up.