friends, shoes and a little konnyaku gel

"Friends are the family that you choose for yourself."

How do we choose a friend? Is it like shopping for a pair of stilettos that match your evening ball gown? Or a pair of sneakers for everyday errands?

When I was younger, smaller, and rounder, my parents would take me to malls to find that perfect pricey shoes that would match my chiffon dress. Of course the perfect shoes has to be a pair of high-heeled shiny, metallic, beaded shoes. It would take us hours to find that only to wear it for a night and spend the rest of its prime years inside the shoe cabinet, gathering cobwebs and dust. I'm not a fan of stilettos and my feet hurt when I wear them for more than an hour. I can't run with those nor can I jump. I can't take long walks or trudge rocky roads. But who could deny it's alluring beauty? My mom says women look sexy wearing high-heeled shoes. Sometimes I even find myself looking and drooling over a pair of sparky shoes in the window display of a store but I know deep down that I don't need it. Why? Because it is uncomfortable; my feet sore and callouses form. But why do we women invest on those? Well yes for most because it's part of their everyday look but as for me? It matches the shoe cabinet more than it matches my everyday outfit.

As I grew older, taller, and a bit slimmer, events such as graduations, dinner parties, and debuts become less and less and so is the need for flowing dresses hence the shoes that go with them.
My parents seldom buy me shoes because I'm now earning a little since I received my last diploma. I choose carefully the things that I would have them buy for me. And the things I ask for are mostly shoes. Why? Because shoes are more expensive than clothes. (Grab the benefit of a little earner while it lasts haha). I asked my dad for a pair of running shoes and sandals and my mom for a pair of sneakers. I picked shoe design that would match almost everything in my closet to save money. I only have a pair of sneakers, a pair of sandals and a pair of running shoes that my parents bought. Just a pair of each. I wear my sneakers almost anywhere - in grocery stores, malls, friend's house, church, etc. My rubber shoes are my companion in boxing and running. My sandals are for errands or just-around-the-corner walks.

So why did I compare shoes with friends? Because shoes take us to places we've never been or we've always been. It's hard walking barefoot outside your home. Shoes protect our feet from stones, mud, and poops. Our capacity to walk from one place to another mainly depends on how comfortable our shoes fit us. I went to Rockwell with my friends after our testimonial dinner and I stopped every 5 minutes or so to rest my aching feet for I was wearing stilettos because a pair complemented my dress. Friends, like shoes, are with us as we journey. We invest on shoes like we invest on friends. As Marilyn Monroe put it,

“Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world.”

Give a man the right friends, and he will conquer the world. David has Jonathan, Frodo has Sam, Harry has Ron and Hermione, Fred has George,

"Frodo wouldn't have gotten far without Sam"

You might say, "Well I don't have Sam or Ron in my life; I have Malfoy and Golum instead". I know it's hard to find that perfect crazy fit. And there are times when we can't find comfort in our friends and even family, when we feel alone and dejected. Rest assured my friend that the longings of our hearts to be loved immeasurably and unconditionally cannot be satisfied by mere mortals. Friends, like family, are gifts and fill a part of us but not completely. Their love is limited and so is ours. If the gift cannot satisfy, the Giver can.The Giver of the gifts is the one who can fill our hearts; His love goes to corners we don't want people to penetrate or people don't want to go; like water, God fills every empty space inside us with His love until it overflows and manifests in the way we live. John 15:13 tells us about this love,

Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

 Jesus did that because of His love that shouts His glory. Jesus loves you :)

I'm thankful and blessed to have friends that stick more than a konnyaku gel. Friends make God's love tangible. :)