Riding the Slipstream

Last night, I received an sms from my friend Craig, inviting my gf and I out to dinner with him and his partner on Wednesday night. "Craig-O" has been one of my best friends since high school and we have had many crazy adventures together. Now I have to let you in on a little secret about my friend Craig. He is a bit, well much more than a bit, of a boozer. I have long suspected that his heavy boozing has to do with the fact that he is inherently a very shy person. On the few social occasions I had seen him not drinking; he was be a bit of bore and seemed somewhat out of place. We all prolly know one or two ppl like that, someone who after a couple of drinks, can be the life and soul of a party. Without it they drift around aimlessly and can hardly conduct a meaningful conversation. Why am I telling you this? The message also implied that he has decided to give up drinking as one of his New Year’s resolutions. Way to go. This from a man, who when we were in Barcelona a few years back, dropped his pants in front of a night club and begged a hooker to give him a blow job. Crazy bastard! Do not get me wrong. It is NOT that I am not happy that he has decided to make changes in his life. Some are long overdue! I only wish that he, and I am not saying he is not, would have been more moderate in his approach. On the one hand I am scared for him and one the other I am just sceptical at his ability to pull it off. I do not want see him fail at this. Something also tells me that he going to need all the help and support he can get and as such I (and all of his friends) need to walk this road with him. [don’t let anybody…ever… point a finger and call the Chitster shallow!] I am going to accept the invitation. I want to be supportive and the dinner will be a good place for him to test the waters, so to speak. Small steps, and what better place to start taking those steps than over dinner being surrounded by good friends? There comes a time when you have to retire from your life as you know it, settle into adulthood and ride off into the sunset. The hardest part for him will be developing and cultivating a booze-free persona when all who know him and have been around him all those years come to expect him to do the crazy things he is so well-known for. One of the few occasions, I guess, when NOT living up to expectations can actually be a good thing.