Just like a sweater!

I have this sweater I wear during the cold season. It is a button down sweater which goes all the way to my knees. It is cream in colour, warm as a cool day in hell, designer label and is about ..........20 years old. Nothing in my wardrobe fits me as badly as this piece of rag. It hangs all over the place, makes me look 10kgs heavier and its length shortens me by about 5 inches.(I am not particularly tall so that's a lot of inches.) But I love this sweater. I don't even wash it lest it doesn't dry and I have to find something without holes to sleep in.It is my ever-present comfort in the cold. I once went for coffee with a pal wearing this sweater and he has never stopped talking about it. (In my defense I was already in the car when he called. There was no way I was going back to change)

We all have friends who are like this sweater. They may be old and tattered but without them you feel lost in space. Like something is forever missing from life. They have terrible habits, kick you when you crash in the same bed, you forever have to carry them kicking and screaming out of the club and usually have a habit of insulting the biggest person they can see. All in all, no one has your back more and no one will stand by you closer. Very much like an old sweater.

We are not embarrassed to know them. At least not always. They are the first people we call when we are in trouble. That is if they are not in trouble with us. These friends have something no one else has. Even if you drift apart for months, the minute you meet, it feels very much like wearing that old sweater after a long day of being uncomfortably suited up.

Good friends, like good sweaters, are like coming home. Suddenly you feel safe and warm and comfortable. Suddenly there's nothing wrong with the world. Suddenly the air is fresh. You really don't need words to describe or explain to anyone why you care so deeply for this old and tattered, ill-fitting friend who is full of holes. All you need to know is that when you see them, you are home!