This too, was written in March 2009, please remember to click on the link, and share the link, if you find this article helpful. Thank you very much in advance.
http://voices.yahoo.com/-known-company-keep-2825973.html?cat=41
Known by the Company You Keep
How was your day? Asked Elaine, as her husband Bob came in.
Ummm..fine,and yours? replied Bob.
As he walked thru the door not really waiting for an answer.
Elaine watched as her husband headed through the house to the livingroom, dropping various things as he went. Setting his jacket here, shoes over there, briefcase next to the wall.
Almost as if he were trying to shed the day from his memory as he wearily at last dropped into the chair and picked up the mail...
As Elaine turned back to preparing supper, Bob stared at the mail in his hand not really seeing it. He was thinking of the days events even the last several weeks. He seemed to of lost direction somewhere along the way. When had his focused changed?
As his mind drifted through several events of the day, Elaine called from the kitchen that supper was ready.
He would give more thought to the turmoil in his heart after dinner, he decided, as he was hungry.
As he ate he chatted with his wife Elaine, about his day and hers. Sometimes life just seemed boring he thought silently as they chatted about their days.
Elaine hardly noticed as she was excitedly explaining about the newest friend or aquaintence she had made. Seemed Elaine called everyone friend, he preferred instead to say aquaintence. After all he reasoned he did not really know most anyone enough to call them friend.
Even as he was thinking that Elaine needed to stop referring to so many people as friend, he again thought about his day. He had once again squandered his whole paycheck gambling at work. With his friends. Now that was different he saw these people every day six and seven days a week, eight or more hours a day. He knew his "friends" well. In fact he reasoned he knew most of his coworkers better than his wife.
Bob was beginning to get a headache as he listened to Elaine excitedly tell him her newest friends would be over for tea in about half and hour.
Oh,no...He moaned to himself. Why,why did Elaine desire to entertain, he just wanted peace and quiet. He needed time to figure out how to get the money back he had lost at work, with his friends, before Elaine found out.
Finally he decided he would just take out a payday loan, maybe he would win the next bet at work, then everything would be okay...{his friends never even called but they sure were ready to gamble given any opportunity.}
As that last passing thought went through his mind he heard Elaine say, they are here.
It's Dr and Mrs. Taylor.
Did he hear that right? No, she must of said Mr. not Dr.
But he had heard right, his wife had said Dr. His wife seemed to have a knack for meeting all kinds of people and inviting them over. Why did she do that?
Then he remembered back a few years prior when he had met his wife, she was always outgoing.
friendly and cheerful. Come to think of it most of the people she was around were like that.
Had he once been more cheerful, optimistic? Yes, in fact he had. What had changed?
Then it dawned on him. He had lost focus, the daily cost of living was much more than he had prepared for. He had then took to gambling a little here and there, at first he had won. But over time seemed like his "friends" won many more times than he did.
As he shook hands with his wife's newest friends he noted that his wife's friends came with a beautiful houseplant as a gift.
As his wife brought out the tea, he noticed that she seemed very happy with her new friends. Indeed these were very nice people.
Even as he began mentally taking notes in the differences between the friends his wife chose, and his over the last year. He suddenly realized that he was attracting "friends" that were no more than vultures.
His "friends" did not call, or even stop by, unless of course they wanted something.
Suddenly, he wondered if he had been passed over for promotions because of those "friends" that he had made at work. He also began thinking how these "friends" were precieved by others. These "friends" seemed to always want something, they also seemed to be masters at avoiding work.
Then as if by shock he understood why he had been passed over for promotions. It was because that his supervisor probably thought he was the same. But he wasn't.
What could he do? Even as that thought crossed his mind he knew. He needed to begin choosing better friends...
Tonight would be a good time to begin....
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