Survival of the Fittest

I was talking on the phone with my dear friend, Matt, last night. Though I've only known him for four months, I consider him to be one of my best friends. It is rare you find someone in life whom you really hit it off with right from the start and the friendship only continues to grow as time passes without a stopping point in sight. A friendship with a solid foundation built upon unwavering support and complete honesty. I am safely all in with him because I know I have that same support in him. I knew that God planned for us to meet under the circumstances we both were in to help each other. When I first met him, I helped him through a difficult time in his life. As he likes to put it, I "stepped up to the plate when no one else did". I hardly knew him, but felt so comfortable opening up to him. And vice versa. Since I met him, I have already seen his personality change for the better. He is more confident, comfortable in his own skin, and less self-conscious. I'm so glad that I could make such an impact on his life, and influence him to embrace the beautiful person he is-inside and out.

Now that you have the background 411 (I totally just went on a tangent there...sorry), back to the telephone conversation. We were just catching up on each others lives and talking through what both of our next moves would be in life. We got to talking about me-my journey up here, the struggles I've faced since my move that I normally try not to disclose, and my next move. For the first time since I came up here, I broke down emotionally and mentally. I started telling him how stressed, frustrated, emotionally exhausted, and scared I was. Being up here for a little over a month with no income, sleeping over-staying my welcome on friend's couches, applying to upward to 200 jobs, chasing my dream finally took a toll on my normally tough persona. I gushed to him everything I was scared about--my dwindling savings, being literally homeless, and having to throw in the towel and leave the city because I failed.

In the moments of my despair and mentalphysicalemotional exhaustion, he picked me up. He reminded me that sometimes when I feel alone, hopeless and not comfortable talking to anyone about my situation, I always have my faith to turn to. He told me, "Sometimes, your faith is all you got. You know I'm so proud of you doing all of this by yourself, having the drive to chase your dreams as hard as you are. I know you're ready to throw in the towel, but you know, you gotta think of this as a test. Sometimes God makes you go through these kinds of things to see how bad you want it. Don't give up too soon."

His words helped me remember my faith. He helped me refocus my mind. He helped me recall the theory of "survival of the fittest". Only those who are strong enough to make it through the storm are able to see the rainbow at the end.

Matt helped me the same way I helped him. That is the beauty of friendship. You pick each other up when the other is down and out. I'm so grateful to know he will be there the next time I need someone to turn to. And I will be there with open arms to pick him whenever he needs me.

Thank you, Matt. I miss you, and I love you. There will be an M&M reunion soon!