With the end of the spring 2005 semester in sight, I thought it would be appropriate to break from my weekly dose of cynicism about life to share a personal philosophy I have about the acknowledgement of friends.
Graduation is upon us. This is especially true for most of my longtime friends from Horizon High School.
After chatting with some of them, I found that most were continuing their education elsewhere. One of my friends will be starting her internship in Prescott. Another friend will continue to pursue her goal of becoming a physician's assistant by attending the Arizona School of Health Sciences in Mesa.
In terms of my graduation, I still have at least another year before I, too, will say goodbye to ASU.
Although it's unfortunate, many of the friendships that remained intact after my high school graduation will cease to be after my friends have left ASU.
These things happen. It's just part of the game.
The important advice that I can give to you is that you need not harbor praise and compliments from your friends.
If you have nothing nice to say, don't say it. But if you do have something nice to say, blurt it out. Let that person know how you feel.
Every day is another opportunity to let someone know how special they are to you.
There doesn't even have to be a reason for praising someone. More often than not, I will throw compliments into a conversation, and it will all seem incredibly random.
I find that the randomness of a compliment is directly linked to how it is received by friends. The more random the time for a compliment, the more appreciated it is.
I feel that acknowledging my friends on a daily basis is crucial because I do not know when my time will come. I have always told myself that I wanted to die with nothing left unsaid.
After experiencing my own tragedies and missing out on chances to express my love, I decided that I would not allow myself to forget the ones that were in front of me everyday.
Let me put it this way. Thank your study buddies who became friends after late-night test cramming. Thank your teachers for sparking interest in your future work field. Thank the Flash shuttle-bus drivers for occasionally getting you to class on time. Thank the vending-machine maintenance men for keeping the Kit-Kats stocked. Thank me for reminding you to thank others.
It's really simple. Don't forget the ones you love.
Jimmy Shoffman wants to thank all of his family and friends, near and far, for the guidance, wisdom and understanding they have displayed over the years. Reach him at james.shoffman@asu.edu.