Friend Who Knows Too Much

I count myself amongst the most fortunate of people.  I have friends.  True irreplaceable friends.  I have friends who have been there for me when things fell apart.  I have friends who stood no nonsense when I felt sorry for myself and gave me a right good talking to.  I could carry on but the list is too long.  This post is about one particular friend: Friend Who Knows Too Much otherwise known as FWKTM.  Why am I posting about her now?  Because a lot of different things have happened recently which have caused me to refer to FWKTM and I forget that not everyone knows the significance.

On Good Friday, for example, Meike's Mum wrote a guest post on Meike's (Librarian's) blog and I commented that it was a case of whatever is is best.  To the extent that we make the most of our misfortunes (or good fortunes) that is exactly what the story demonstrated.  However this was a philosophy I had 'learned' as a small boy from 'Uncle John' our next door neighbour.  It remained unchallenged by me until the last decade when FWKTM questioned my approach and pointed me to Voltaire's Candide.  We spent many hours discussing Voltaire and tiny snippits of Nietzsche as we understood him.

Prior to Good Friday's post I had had a discussion with Meike on another subject and she referred me to her post entitled My Friend.

"My friend and I go back a long, long way.

As far as my memory reaches, back into early childhood where things tend to get a bit blurred and only single objects, sounds, sights or scents stand out clearly against the backdrop of the first few years, we've always been friends.

While we grew up, naturally the pattern of our relationship underwent changes; some of them subtle, some less so, but our friendship never suffered.

With my friend, I have been able to open many doors to the inner realm of imagination and delight.  

On the very rare occasion where the delight turns into fear, I never blame him, and those events never leave a scar on our friendship. 

My friend puts me at ease when I am troubled, restores my energy when I am exhausted and offers a welcome refuge from the outside world when I feel I can not face it.

Some years ago, a change of circumstances, of work place, of where I live.

True friendship does not suffer from such changes; it may shift and be altered, but does not break or peter out. 

So, of course, my friend and I remained as close as before. 

Or so I thought."

To read the end of the story you will have to visit Meike (Librarian) whose story it is and find the twist in the tail (or tale).

However I couldn't help thinking that there were a lot of things in the post that reminded me of FWKTM and I said so.  But the acronym meant nothing to Meike.  So now I have explained the acronym.

As to who FWKTM is:  that would be telling.  We came through hard times together.  We came out of the tunnel and our lives went their separate ways.  But there is nothing on this earth that could ever break the friendship.