The Tripod

I have two best friends. At this point in my life, they are likely the closest people I have to life long friends. It took me awhile to come out of my social shell, so I was never the most popular kid. That is not to say I didn't have friends, because I did, I'm just saying that I bounced around a lot of people. I tend to still do that. However, for some reason, these two rascals have managed to stay around.

These guys are always down for a party, share a sense of humor, and keep me on my toes. When the three of us are together, laughter is never a scarcity.

The nights that we go out, we stand out. We command the attention of the people around us, and we take it. Whether it is through our stunning good looks, or by hopping on stage to sing "Living on a Prayer", people take notice to us. I love it.

We affectionately nicknamed ourselves "the tripod" very quickly. Not the most original name out there, but it has great meaning. A tripod needs all three legs. Without one, it is useless and will not stand. That's how the three of us felt. Alone, we were not as strong as we were when we were together.

The strength that the three of us displayed was beyond an increased level of confidence. We laughed harder as a trio, we talked more, we partied better, things just never seemed to go wrong when the three of us got together.

All of us are doing different things in our lives, but we all know we can count on each other.

The tripod started out as three single guys who would go out on the town and get a little crazy. I've beat to the ground how much fun we have together, but some of my best stories that I can tell involve these two guys.

Times change however. Such is life.

Today I found out about a new girlfriend that one of us has. Apparently they have been together since late November, and I had zero clue about this. Not angry about it, I think its great for my buddy. What has happened as a result, is that I am left as the only single member of the tripod. With one recently entering an exclusive relationship, and the other in one that has lasted over a year, I am a leg who stands alone.

I am not saying that these girls are bad, or have affected our friendships, because they haven't and I don't want to give the impression that they have. I'm ecstatic for my friends. I just find myself sitting here and laughing about the situation.

We began as three wild horses, romping around care free. But we have all started to grow up.

Wants and needs change, and things like this happen; we become tame.

I just find it difficult to not feel that this is truly an end of an era. An epic era may I add. These guys have been my best friends through my bests and worsts, and I trust they will continue to be.

We are still the tripod, and get together any chance we have. We still raise some cane, and howl at the moon, but the relationship has changed. What began as checking our cell phones for new phone numbers, has turned into checking for text messages from the girl friends.

I had almost hoped that things would never change, but what can you do?

Where I initially fit in perfectly with my friends, I now feel like they are waiting for me to catch up. As if they are saying "alright man, this is part of growing up, come join us". I guess I kind of feel left behind.

I know that I can always count on my buddies, and I hope they know they can count on me. As long as we are friends, we will always be the tripod.

So thanks to these guys, I have truly been able to live the expression "nights I don't remember with friends I'll never forget". My biggest concern I guess is that they keep growing up, and I can't catch up.

These guys are my support system, the legs I lean on when I'm not as strong. It scares me. It shouldn't, but it does.

So now I find myself rambling, and the ability to write a good story has likely suffered. I think it is great that my friends are doing what they are doing. I wish, like all the times before, that I was right there with them. But for maybe the first time in our friendship, I'm not leading the way, they are.

So in an attempt to end this latest entry, I want to say congrats to my best friends who have both got something great going on for them. Over the years, our friendship has evolved, and I hope it keeps on evolving. So while these guys are already having the next round, I hope they keep on keeping a few on ice for me.

I began saying that I was a leg left standing alone, but as I write, I realize that this is just another example of the tripod. While I catch up to my friends, they are staying strong so that I can lean on them. So rather than being left standing alone, these events I suppose, have truly left the Tripod as strong as ever.