Coffee is Better with a Friend

“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”

― C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Many years ago, my best friend and I would meet on Fridays before the sun rose and walk and jog the Swamp Rabbit trail while attempting to solve all the world’s ills. Many heated discussions occurred but after many years we agree our efforts have come for naught.

We are an unlikely pair. He, the staunch Christian conservative and I, the left leaning, possible agnostic, ordained Dudeist priest. I will let you look up Dudeism on your own.

While staunch, he isn’t MAGA or Christian Nationalist. He cares little for politics or any kind. He would best be described as an old timey Christian singing “Give Me That Old Time Religion” but is more a Reagan Republican than an Eisenhower Republican. While we sit on different sides of the center, we find more to agree on than disagree.

Just off the Swamp Rabbit is a small coffee and art café, The Tree House. Originally it was Leopard Forrest before changing owners along with its name and we stumbled upon it one very cold winter’s morning. We decided to warm ourselves with a cup of coffee and continue to discuss and debate.

The Tree House is cheerful, welcoming and adorned with colorful artwork. The aroma of coffee greets you at the door, and the owners and their working staff greet you inside. They have become the family everyone wishes to have. My brother and cousins should not take offense; they would fit right in with the dysfunctional group we have assembled.

Over the years our duo has grown into a small group. One of the owners, the artist, sat down with us one day, striking up a conversation. Instead of running her off we were introduced to her friends, an English lady who was born during The Blitz, literally born in a bomb shelter. She sits farther to the left than I. Her husband, retired military, sits farther right than my friend. They are an unlikely duo but have managed to make it work for sixty-eight years. She calls us her Muppet men, the grouchy old Muppets that sit in the balcony. Grouchy but just as humorous.

This is the core group, but we welcome nearby diners, attracted by our loud stories and even louder laughter. There are others who are part-time members. We welcome all comers and their contributions. We are a woke, equal opportunity group.

I look forward to Fridays. It is as if the ills of the world that we cannot erase are somehow washed clean. For a bit of time, I don’t worry about what is happening in Washington or Columbia. We don’t worry if we are a red state or if New York has elected a Muslim. All the divisiveness ends. It is fun stories and laughter. It is learning about different backgrounds. Laughter is truly good for the heart as are friends. Friends do make survival worth it. It certainly brings value to mine.

Like Don Miller’s stories? Try “Pig Trails and Rabbit Holes.” Download or purchase from Amazon at https://tinyurl.com/5n8uzuwp