Smile just because.

I heard a guy say that friends were the most important part of his life.
I heard a guy say that he had friends who knew him better than he knew himself.
I heard a guy say that he didn’t know what he would do without his friends.
I heard a guy say a lot of things,
But I’m not sure he heard himself.
Because I’ve heard all these sayings from other people,
And I’m not sure they heard themselves either.
They talk about friends like an abstract concept,
Something ideal, defining,
Something they cherish,
Something they love,
But all they are talking about are things.
I see you.
And I see a man,
And I see flaws,
See problems in your life,
See mistakes you have made,
See you hurt,
And I stop seeing after a while,
Because I don’t have to look back on memories,
And talk about things you’ve done,
Or who I think you are,
About how incredible you are,
About how amazed I am at your inner strength,
Because it’s not strength you possess,
Because you can lose strength with the passing years.
I’ve seen your pain,
And I wonder how you smile sometimes,
Smile to make others smile,
Smile because it’s good to smile,
Smile for no reason
And you become something more than a smile,
Grow past your pain
Live life, not living in the past,
But being in the now,
Because you are so much more than things I can see
Or feel
Or remember.
Because your very being is more than life can contain.
And I smile,
Because you are here,
And refuse to not be other people’s thoughts,
Just a thing they talk about,
Something they say in passing,
Something they don’t hear themselves.
You are,
And I know I can be,
Someone, not something
No matter what happens.