This blog post has a much higher meaning to me, and hopefully it should to you too.
What I'm about to share with you is a personal story. 100% true, nothing exaggerated or embellished. I am 28, and my friend was in his 80's when we first met.
I moved into my current home almost two years ago. It's a quiet home nestled in the Texas Hill Country very close to a big beautiful lake. Before we moved in I was looking forward to the scenery and living in the country, after we moved in I found myself looking forward to something else.
A next door neighbor of mine was taken to the hospital right before we moved in. She was a senior citizen with lots of friends around the neighborhood, unfortunately I never was able to meet her. She spent about a week at the hospital before passing on.
She left her son at her house all by himself. For the first few days after her passing I watched out my front window as her son sat on her front porch, waiting for her to come back. Day in and day out he would sit out there quietly all by himself. It seemed with time he got more sad, his head once held high was now hanging lower. I'm not a psychologist but I knew he was in a bad place.
I made a decision. I decided I would try to get to know him. I met up with another friend I met from the neighborhood and we walked over to his house. He didn't want anything to do with us at first, I guess you could say he was older and stubborn. He just didn't want to show himself to a complete stranger. I understood that, and didn't ever hold it against him. Our first meeting was quick, I introduced myself and then we went our separate ways.
This house where he lived bordered the woods. Literally nothing but woods and wild animals behind his house. After our first meeting I got permission to come back and keep his property safe for him. My house was only two houses away so whenever I had a free second or two I would go over there and check on him and the property.
Before very long I found myself looking forward to going over there to see him. He was very wise and solemn in his older age. Once we became friends I honestly can't say I remember one time he wasn't happy to see me, and vis-versa. He had all kinds of wildlife coming on his property harassing him and his adopted female cat. I got permission to set up traps right on his fenceline. What started out as one trap multiplied into multiple traps and a 24 hour live surveillance camera on his property so I could run over there if any predators came in the yard.
As a friend, I would make it a habit to bring left-overs over there to him. I knew he wasn't eating as well as before, and I wanted to do my part for him. I know in my heart that he never looked forward to the food as much as he looked forward to seeing me. Sometimes we would just sit out in the yard as the sun was setting just enjoying each others company. I can't say that I've experience that kind of trust and friendship with many people over the course of my life. Deep down he knew I had his back in all situations, and he had mine. It was a un-discussed feeling that I could feel all the way through me.
He never did me wrong, I never did him wrong. One time he was in the yard and had gotten attacked by a big fox. I saw him walking up, one side of his face almost twice the size of the other. He protested, but I got him in my car and drove straight the the emergency room. He didn't want to go, but I knew to be a true friend to him, it was my duty. When we got back I made him stay at my house that night. I awoke to him looking at me, with one of those looks that said 'You're a true friend'.
That day something changed. He started spending more and more time at my house. Plenty of days I would come out in the morning to him sitting in the chair on my porch saying 'hey boy what're you doing'? He would always look me in the eye during our exchanges. I learned a lot about respect from him. We learned a lot about each other.
I knew he was getting up there in age, and my mind always had a tendency to assume the worst when I wouldn't see him outside. I would holler for him, and every damn time he would come out to say hi to me.
I'll say this, I really wonder if I'll ever have another friend like that. We just had a mutual understanding of each other that I can't put into words. We wanted the best for each other, and we both knew it. We knew that we could have lived without each other, but together the parts of us added up to more than just the sum of the parts. We were a team. We were a real team.
On the morning of January 18th, 2012 I came outside to find him on my front porch like usual, but he wasn't breathing. He had passed, and I wasn't there when it happened. I wasn't there for him like I should have been. Maybe it's just human nature, but I feel I let him down somehow. Nothing I've been told in comfort has helped me.
It's now a few days later, but I'm still crying as I type this. I lost something great, and the world lost someone great. What I'll never forget is how two creatures can come together to make both happier and both better.
A legacy is leaving the world a better place than you found it. A legacy is changing something or someone for the better. Many of us notice the fact that one bad thing can create a chain of negative events that are echoes of the original deed. Well I am here to remind you that one good thing, one choice of doing the right thing if you will, can and does create a long string of positive events.
Today or tomorrow, do something positive. Remember to pay it forward.
Most of all, never forget that sometimes you find the best of friends in the most uncommon of places.
I love you Egypt, and I will never forget you. I've got Egypt's son with me now, and because of who Egypt was and what he stood for, his son will die an old happy cat in a warm bed. Because of someone's decision to bring home a bengal mix cat that needed a home, I now know how to treat others that one day may earn the title "True Friend."
Part II
I was originally going to end this post here, but I want to include some pictures and a few words about who Egypt was, and what he stood for. Below are some pictures of me with him.
Egypt always ran his property with his brother. I never got to know his brother, by all accounts he disappeared a short time before I moved in. I can only assume the worst as I have photographed large coyotes nearby with my game camera.
Egypt was smart though, I mean really smart. Much like a behaviorist he could read people and situations correctly. It's probably what kept him safe on a piece of property that was visited by all kinds of wildlife at night.
He loved being outside, he loved the Texas Hill Country, and more than all, he loved his friends. It needs to be said, he had more desirable human traits than most humans. He was definitely the needle in the haystack, he was the one in a million.
The truth is we rarely will know a life-long friend upon first sight. If you ever find yourself searching for happiness, consider the following. I can assure you that there is a pet out there in a bad situation or in a shelter that needs your help, and in return will give you the friendship, loyalty, and respect you might be looking for. It might not be the puppy or kitten you have pictured in your head, but they're out there. Remember patience breeds understanding, and understanding breeds friendship. It's not too late right now, but at some point it will be.
The truth is we rarely will know a life-long friend upon first sight. If you ever find yourself searching for happiness, consider the following. I can assure you that there is a pet out there in a bad situation or in a shelter that needs your help, and in return will give you the friendship, loyalty, and respect you might be looking for. It might not be the puppy or kitten you have pictured in your head, but they're out there. Remember patience breeds understanding, and understanding breeds friendship. It's not too late right now, but at some point it will be.
