I got a chance to meet up with Gimp today.  He’s in town for a few more days before returning to Texas to be an EMT and potentially go to law school or something along those lines.  We’ve always had a strange relationship, being the respective best friends of a couple who have since split.  I never would have known him otherwise and hanging out with him started off as a necessity because of overlapping social circles.  He’s the kind of friend who you never take too seriously and typically are ready to slap at a moment’s notice.  He’s a super cheeky fellow and likes to think of himself as a stud, yet at the same time he’s got a big heart and is well aware of his ego.  It’s always interesting hanging out with him.

One of the most unique things about him is that he brings out the insults in me.  Whenever we hang out, we diss each other like nothing else.  We call each other fat, point out all the minor flaws (many of which don’t exist), exaggerate every little mistake to be a bad character trait, and relentlessly battle each other with words and (controlled) hands.  I’d imagine this is how siblings fight each other as they’re growing up, with a certain immaturity and a he-said she-said mentality.  It’s quite fun though, and playfully abusive emotionally and physically.  It may not sound that great, but there’s nothing like a dose of unabashed insults thrown at you to make you question if you really deserve to think of yourself as so great.

Reminds me of when these two duke it out with words on the Black Pearl. photo credit: magicmountain.net

I’m sure everyone has that friend who is candid to a fault and has absolutely no tact.  Take that to a different dimension and you get the friend who is completely candid, but will even make things up to poke at possible insecurities.  If you learn to deal with that, there’s a lot more you could handle if it came your way.  I guess it comes down to trusting that person enough to know they don’t actually mean those mean things and trusting yourself enough to know that you aren’t those bad things.

Talk about a reality check.  A friend like that can keep anyone grounded!  Though perhaps there is the danger of pounding someone into the ground too hard if they can’t take a harsh joke or two.  Personally, I appreciate the little dose of a “beating” I get every now and then.  It’s a fun and lively banter for me and keeps me on my toes.  After all, I can’t always be the one getting shot down, now can I?