The Life of the Party

Have you ever thought your friends referred you as "the life of the party"? How about the one who gets the party started? Or the one who made something big of a gathering despite knowing your teams loosing the game? Yes you, the life of the party.

Your hanging buddies at the bar love to live life on a high end after a difficult day at work. They hang until the sun comes up and then they are off to another day while you stumble home to sleep it off. You know, slumber sleeping off whiskey moments. Yes until the phone rings and plans to meet up with another group of friends later. Your routine starts off again into another weeknight. But wait, the weekend is ahead and a festival or big game will be in town and the party starts and ends on Sunday while you seek some way to make Monday your Sabbath.

So many friends to smoke and drink with 24/7 and you never realize that you are approaching forty with no real responsibilities. No kids, no wife, no stable job or income to support your beach lifestyle no legacy other than being that cool guy. You may say “I love living my best life”.

Meanwhile your drinking buddies tend to reflect a different lifestyle. They are always well dressed in the latest name brand beach outfits and all the bells and whistles while trying to have you stir up their parties. Performing the latest dance moves, attracting all the fine girls, having vulgar conversations so all can see that you are "the man".

All may seem fine and well except for the fact that you never realize that the world continues to move forward regardless if you do not. Your party friends all have established jobs ranging from higher education to public service. They seemed to somehow move on in life despite the fact that you may or may not have. The only common ground you both have is an already established partying life of drunkenness and lured behavior. Yes you stood out to them because you were that friend they have outside their race. It's something you're satisfied with being. They learned so much about your race that causes them to label an entire demographic behavior. Unfortunately the majority of your friends never took time to encourage you to excel along with them. Instead you may have participated in their weddings, attended accomplishments, newborn births and all of life perks. Yes you, everybody’s groomsmen, best friend, godfather the guy they love to party with because he brings out that down time they long for.

Now as they gather to lay you to rest, the common theme from everyone as they lament is that you were such a great friend to have around. No one commented on how the lifestyle you embraced could have had some type of intervention. Here we are in an auditorium filled with so many guests and only your family sits along side your body just happens to be of another race. Doctors, lawyers, educators, businessmen and many greeted your family to share their condolences. Never in a million years your family thought of burying you at this age but the time has come. The only legacy they have to hold on to is that you being a good friend to many and the life of their parties. In the end they move forward in life searching for that next person to fill that void of being the life of the party in their lives. Maybe the next chapter of friendship they would inspire and encourage that person to take better care of themselves and strive for achievements in life other than being that guy.