To Be Acknowledged ...

Earlier today while I was at work, I was caught off guard by a beautifully written blog post about me...and I rushed to the bathroom to cry.  I wasn't having a bad day, it was going quite well actually, but it just meant the world to me.  Not that I am short of appreciation from the people that love me, but this post moved me because it was out of nowhere.  This is the result of a friendship that has been as steady as a winter day in Alaska.

This doesn't take away from any of the love and support I have received from anybody else.  In general, I am facing many tough obstacles, so, yes, this does give me quite the needed boost.  Right now as I type this, I am teary eyed and listening to Sade.  lol Typical me.

I don't want to type too much about myself before I ruin the moment...however, I want to say that relationships are what keep your soul alive.  Whether it be with yourself, religion, friends, lovers or whoever makes you happy, make it a point to let them know how important they are to you.  Its powerful stuff.

Gratitude is a gift that you should give to the people who sustain you.

Rob Herring, we really have grown a lot and have watched each other become men.  No words in this post can contain the love and appreciation that I have for you.  You have been my cheerleader at every corner, milestone, low, and high since we have met.  I have never ever had to ask you for anything..it has always been automatic.

thank you for your friendship.

This is the post that Rob wrote for me:

 "Much can be said for the way today's communicative mediums have eroded the interpersonal engagement - but about a decade ago that's how I met one of my closest friends.  I guess something can be said for fate as well - but through the course of years we have managed to work & maintenance quite the friendship. New aged city mouse & country southern mouse - Mikey was this gateway to something broader, imaginative - passionately creative; strengths of my own whose surfaces I had barely even scraped at that time.  Fast forwarding through the years there were probably thousands of instant messages, one checking on the other - another zillion texts to share an occasional laugh or advice sessions - & an infinite number of "talk me off of the ledge" late night phone calls.  Often times we don't take the time to watch people grow - but I've been privy to not only witness Mikey grow, I've been lucky to grow along side him in a similar direction.
          Recently I watched Mikey brave through one of the toughest periods I have seen him endure to date - & then I watched the inevitable bounce back, phoenix from ashes, Britney Spears "Stronger" & shit.  Now I see Mikey settling into his routine & being reminded again - of how much more he wants from this life, from it's passions, & from its wealth of teachings & opportunities.  It was a message I wanted to offer to my friend, as a friend - especially now in this season where it can be received & in effort to prepare him for his next obstacle.  Someone imparted this to me recently & I thought to pass it on, because as complicated & layered as we are, this antidote was from a simple perspective endowed by wisdom which can only be garnered through trial, error, age & or experience.  I was at my job one day, fatigued with the routine, unsettled by the direction of my life as of late & frustrated trying to snatch back the reigns -  It was there lamenting & discussing this stalemate dilemma with a colleague, that's well over twice my senior, that I was given this a caveat that she received from her life coach - "...my dear, this is just a lily pad for you."  She fleshed out for me this theory of transition & she started with telling me that I was preparing to take my next leap - & when you leap, you need somewhere to land until the next leap - another lily pad.
          Each stage in life is this transitional building block that gives you some haven, or teaching point - to better equip you for the next stage.  Depending on your growth in this life there can be tons of these transitional periods - but no matter how good or bad, they are always - temporary.  So back to Mikey, even now coming into everything with the new job & the website (www.streetwalkersnyc.com) *shameless plug* there's still this hunt for more.  We have even discussed this, its like there's this invisible hour glass somewhere guarded by ninjas hyped up on meth, & where racing against time, running over glass in stripper heels.  Even still, even this season - yea the one we're currently in where we are waiting to breakthrough to doing whatever it is we love - yea, its just another lily pad as well.  So let's take some time, slow down, learn what were suppose to be learning & build for the next leap so that we when land its somewhere worth building.

Ten years strong - love you Mikey."

you can also see the original post on his site:  http://royalrhetoric.blogspot.com/2010/10/life-lillies-for-michael-rivera.html