A Story for Michael

I met this guy a month before I went to university, at a leadership conference held at the university we were both going to attend in the Fall. Most of the conference is a blur now but I do remember in one session, people were being asked from the audience to go to the front of the whole room and rock out some sweet dance moves. This really hairy, tall and funny (he'll also want me to say extremely handsome) guy volunteered and busted some hilarious dance moves completely unabashed. It was awesome. He instantly became one of the coolest dudes at the conference and this man went on to become one of my best friends.

He will now and forever be referred to in this blog as Archer, named after the self-titled television show about a completely outrageous, suave, egotistical, ladies man - which I am sure is Michael's actual spirit animal. When I told him that is how I saved him in my phone contacts and how I refer to him to my other friends, he said "That is one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me."

At the same conference, somehow I ended up hanging out with Archer and not being able to shake him. We traded contact information (might have been email at the time) and found out less than a month later that we would be living in the same residence building while attending Laurier. He became one of the greatest people to play a role in my life.

There are some friends you see every week and spend a lot of face-to-face time with, and there are the kind where you are in regular contact over the years, then there are the kind of friends that you just know will always be there for you no matter what has happened or how much time has passed. Archer is that guy. I dated a crazy guy when I started at university and Archer would always be there to spend the night after a bad fight, or answer the phone if the baddy was calling through all hours of the night. It was in this living circumstance that we became close. He would just show up at my door after a night of drinking, or I would call him down to just hang out and talk shit.

After first year, we went down different paths but still maintained enough contact to show we cared or were somewhat in each others' lives. Months would go by, then we would pick up where we left off or have a heartfelt conversation. It carried on like this for years and through our many boyfriends/girlfriends/just friends who passed through our lives.

Then one day, feeling rather alone and lost after just moving to England, I reached back out for my old friend. I knew he had spent a lot of his life travelling and was much more worldly than I, so I knew he would be able to weigh in on my life and help guide me through the experience of travelling on my own.

Best decision I ever made.

I don't know how it happened; perhaps we just were in the exact same place in our lives for needing that kind of friendship, but we began talking and didn't stop. Daily conversations over Skype kept me sane while trying to navigate through the world of culture clashes, dating, independence, and career choices. I'm sure I got more out of our little chats than he did, but I know he was content with the company and being needed (desperately) by someone.

Now I can't imagine a time when I wouldn't call him up each day to tell him what crazy thing has happened to me. I feel closer to him than I do with most people. Sometimes we just sit on Skype in silence, reading internet articles or while I'm painting my toenails; only chatting when something comes up. I haven't seen him in person for nearly five years now, but I feel like I spend the most time with him. In fact, while both my two best friends (knowing each other only through me), Al and Archer were travelling separately through Thailand, they bumped into each other in a small town. They then thought it would be sweet to take a picture together and send it to me, not knowing it only made me wildly jealous not to be with either of them.

So Archer, thank you for every time a person says I've got a good head on my shoulders or I am emotionally intelligent, because that's usually due to some piece of advice you have just given me or allowing me to vent out all my crazy before I approach whoever I need to at the time. I miss you still buddy and wish you we were in the same city but for now, I'll settle for Skype.