Friends Are Like Testicles

Friends are like testicles, they come in various shapes, colors and sizes. They can either be tight round balls of love or somewhat non-existent until you reach out for them and feel their presence, but if you're lucky, you'll have one or two that are like a pair of low hangers that you can hold on tight knowing they'll support you through whatever may come your way.

The month of October was a reminder of what friendship meant to me. What does it mean to be a friend and what do I consider a friend to really be? My friend of 25 years, Cris, came for a brief visit in October and it refreshed my need to be around a person who knows me inside and out. We laughed, argued and then laughed some more. That's just how dramatic Mexican's do it. During her visit, I discovered what it meant to be a true friend and learned a little more about myself--my ability to put my needs aside and show her around and introduce her to the world of Nando's Vlogs. She had a great time and we have plenty of photos and videos to prove it.

Soon after Cris left, I was visited by a friend that I met through twitter. Twitter friends are easily made but to maintain a true and real relationship with a stranger far far away takes time, dedication and free long distance. Lana, or known to many as SugarWilla, came in like a breath of sophisticated Canadian air and left her mark on my heart, soul and bathroom (I found a few of her WINK EYE LASH extensions on the floor).

She demonstrated a true insight into what being a friend is all about. See, sometimes it takes a twitter stranger to hold a mirror up to you and point out some negatives about your personality that may be hindering your progress in personal growth. What am I trying to say? SugarWilla took me to the side and said, "Stop it! Stop saying negative things about yourself. Even if you're trying to get a laugh out of it--realize that it's not serving a purpose."

I was shocked. We had only been around one another one full day and she was already talking to me as if we had gone through childbirth together or at least suffered through a Miley Cyrus concert. I thought about what she wanted for me and she had a point. And it wasn't the first time I'd heard it--my good friend Abiola Abrams has also made similar comments in the past on the same topic.

It's not so much a badge of low-esteem that I wear, but a comedic range that needs to know the line between Nando the person and Nandoism the performer. And for that I thank her. As she left my apartment today she gave me two gifts--a first edition copy of the The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams which was fitting because the book's underlined message is How To Become Real. And the other gift shall remain undocumented and unannounced except that it's a personal gift between two friends that also carries great value and meant a lot.

In my lifetime, I've been blessed with friends who are like low-hanging testicles and want to see fabulous things happen for me--whether it's a more successful blog, a TV show, or finally snagging a 21-year-old hottie. I only hope I provide the same in return. So the next time your talking to your friends and want to show them love--explain Nando's friendship/testicle theory--I'm sure they'll cry sentimental tears of joy...that, or tell you to stop reading my blog--either way, enjoy.

"Does it hurt?" Asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. 

"When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. 

"You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily or have sharp edges or have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."