Trials to Transcendence: When Growing Pains Only Strengthen a Bond
You know, the more I sit and reflect, the more I'm like - thank goodness Dayo and I went through that awkward phase where we were lowkey on different planets for a bit. As bizarre as it sounds, I genuinely believe that temporary disconnect was low-key essential for the next-level bond we've got now.
Hear me out. If we had just been attached at the hip constantly with zero room to independently breathe and evolve - I'm not sure our friendship could've reached these transcendent heights we've unlocked, fam. We simply had to take that detour to fully become our authentic selves before reuniting on an even deeper wavelength.
Because when you think about it, how many childhood besties actually make it through those glory years of dabbling in different friend circles, experimenting with new identities and interests, maybe even growing apart for stretches? More often than not, those intense bonds fracture and fizzle out for good once real life hits.
But by taking that step back from each other for a lil' while, Dayo and I avoided forcing any unnatural molds or boxes. We gave ourselves the space to grow comfortable in our own skin first as individuals before trying to mesh our final forms back together, if that makes sense.
And when did we finally skip those awkward teenage years and reconnect in our early 20s? The revelatory vibes were just next-level amazing. We could embrace and celebrate how the other had evolved in their own unique way without judgment or hostility. It was like rediscovering this whole new, elevated dimension to a bond we'd thought was maxed out as kids.
From there, our relationship lowkey transcended even the tightest of childhood bestie cliches. Don't get me wrong, that nostalgic foundation and endless inside jokes were still intact - but everything felt more potent, more actualized if you will. We'd both shed all the pretenses and inauthenticities that adolescence forces upon you.
So at our core, we were still those two slightly off-kilter dudes exchanging corny punchlines and hyping up each other's random ante. But now those interactions had this deeper, more self-assured authenticity anchoring them. We were two fully-formed adults laughing unapologetically, giving zero fucks about perceived cringe or perception.
And the crazy part? We could always tap back into that vibrant, imaginative youthful spark too. Maybe not fully revisiting those carefree elementary years, but definitely riffing off that same uninhibited spirit from time to time. We were wise beyond our years but still footloose and fancy-free in our own lovably goofy way.
It's like we both got to experience the full human journey and come out the other side as men. All the ugly awkwardness and uncomfortable growing pains were just temporary hurdles bringing us to this higher self-actualized plane of friendship and mutual respect. Any hurt feelings or miscommunications from back then are literally laughable trifles compared to the unbreakable bond welded now.
I mean, could you even imagine intentionally throwing away a decade's worth of shared history, inside jokes, memories, and spiritual intuition about your homie? All those formative chapters and Summer nights just...poof, gone over some petty high school static? Disrespectful to the journey.
That's really what made the difference for us where so many other crews crumble, you know? We never stopped valuing the friendship or treating it as something bigger than ourselves - a legitimate force that shapes who you are as a person. So any phases or slumps were simply momentary turbulence rather than make-or-break emotional damage.
These days, we may gently rub each other about those years when we awkwardly came of age in our own lil' separate worlds. Share some laughs over hilarious blunders or cringe old photos that somehow seemed fresh at the time. But it always comes from the purest place of having unconditional love and longevity with your brother, you know what I mean?
At the end of the day, those years are like literal water under the bridge now. Ancient history that lowkey helped forge us into the versions of ourselves we were always striving to become. The awkwardness, the confusion, the growing pains - that was all just the rainy prologue before our true sun-soaked brotherhood could rise in full bloom.
So hell yeah, I'll cop to all those ridiculous phases and false starts from adolescence whenever. Not a single regret or negative vibe about any of it. That's the personal work you gotta put in to get to the other side as a fully-realized man with an equally well-rounded bond.
Luckily, me and my dog always had each other's backs even when we were out there wilding for a stretch. Now, that's what I call a time-honored friendship.
Thank you for reading my post