I rarely gloat. In fact, I like to think of myself as an extremely modest person. (Is it gloating calling yourself modest? And how come the more I say the word “gloat” the weirder it sounds?)

Anyhow, as I was saying, I don’t really talk myself up. I think it’s because I think so much of life is based on luck. I believe “There but for the grace of God go I.” Meaning, if I had left the house five minutes earlier, it would have been me that got hit by a bus. Or, if I hadn’t randomly chosen Ottawa to go to, I would never had met the love of my life out of all the millions of men in the world.

But there is one thing I’ll gloat about, one thing that I don’t think is based on luck: and that is my friends.

Wether they hale from Nelson, Ottawa, Saskatchewan, Gore, or Timbuktoo, I have managed to acquire some of the most amazing people in the world. And I say “acquire,” because perhaps it took luck to meet them – but it took me to hold on to them. It took my special brand of loyalty, and the fact that, for some strange reason, they appear to like me.

Despite being half the world away from some of my closest friends, we remain fast as ever.

In recent months I have been humbled by the reaction I provoke in others. My friends in Canada were brought to tears at the news of my departure – and my friends in New Zealand, the same when I arrived. I have never been hugged so hard in my entire life. I was brought to my knees by the love these people showed. I, the wordsmith, was speechless.

So, yes, I am not arrogant in many things. I keep most of my accomplishments quietly to myself. But my friends, I will show off to the world! I am so blessed to have such kind, talented, intelligent, funny, loyal people in my life. And I think the fact they choose to be in mine has nothing to do with luck.

You know who you are, guys. Thank you for making my life something worth writing about.