Truly good people

How many truly “good people” do you know? I am not referring to people who are cute or put smiley faces on every text. I am referring to those folks who will get up in the middle of the night, after working all day. They haul ass to your house to do laundry, clean up after the dog and get your kids ready for school because you have pneumonia. That kind of “good people” is what I am referring to.

Everyone has experienced the one hit wonder. You drop a bag of kumquats at the store and everyone around you assists with picking them up. That is a good deed. Someone holds the door open for you. They are being polite. A good Samaritan is one who finds your stolen wallet and returns it with at least your Charming Charlie discount card still in it.

“Good people” are your friends from the moment you meet them until forever. They like you when you’re an ass. You are forgiven for all faults and your neurotic habits are overlooked.

You look forward to hearing from them even if they repeat the same story over and over about the winning pass during the varsity football game in high school. The story had a kick until everyone had celebrated their fortieth birthdays, but you listen patiently. After a few cocktails, you may ask them to “hold that thought” and move onto talking about yourself!

“Good people” are difficult to find. You may think a newish friend or acquaintance is slotted for this title, only to find out they are too tired to help you shovel the avalanche of snow in your driveway. They don’t care if you have a broken leg. They have to have their 8 hours of sleep. Disappointment follows their failure to attain “good people” passage during the initial interview process.

Work friends rarely fall into the “good people” category either. Yeah, y’all go out for happy hour on Thursday nights and pour each other into a car for the designated driver ride home but that is the law and not “good people”. They’re worried about liability and their own ass. “Good people” would assist with the police interview if you had been dropped off at the wrong house and woke up on someone elses couch.

If you called them in the wee hours of the morning because you were in labor or someone was peeking through your windows, not so good people would tell you to call 911. They would go back to sleep and then tell everyone at work you were friendless and they don’t understand why you called them. “Good people” would have been at your side, wrapped you in their grandmother’s handmade antique quilt and made you hot chocolate – unless you were in the labor situation.

“Good people” are brave and forthright. They are able to tell you when enough is enough. They teach you how to fish instead of handing you a fish. They are critical without judgement. They suggest the right direction, keep you out of the slammer, know how to do artificial nails, drive all the way to Dallas when you have car trouble, tell you your favorite suit makes you look lopsided (that’s nice for horrible) and love you for who you really are.

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