No, you're not crazy.

So a few days ago I asked you - friends, readers, countrymen - what question do you pose most often to your best friend. I added my own response - "Am I crazy?" - to get the flow going. Perhaps I influenced the type of response I would receive by asking that question (all the psych majors in the house please stop shaking your heads), but the milk has been spilt, so let me just get to the cleaning up part.

"Yes. But WHY?"

Stating the obvious: We rely on our best friends to give us the perspective to understand situations (or people) that are beyond our immediate understanding. 

"It's not just me?"

Said situations (or people) are beyond our immediate understanding because our emotions are clouding our ability to perceive the situation realistically. Clearly put, you're too *fekked up* to see what's right in front of your nose.

"Am I fucked up in the head?"

So we ask for clarity - using the various formulations you see here. Hoping to get compassion, agreement, validation and kindness from a trusted source - a familiar source.

"Are they all stupid?"

These formulations are tinged with a little indignation, as if some part of us is already convinced that the answer will fall in our favour. But we ask anyway. Needing to hear the answer in order to convince the rest of us that we are right to be feeling whatever it is that we are feeling.

"What is WRONG with THESE people?"

If you are very lucky, you have the kind of best friend that will give you that compassion, agreement, validation and kindness - when needed. And if you're very, very lucky, she gives it to you freely, happily and genuinely.

"Am I on glue?"

All this to say - I want to thank my BFC3R2WZ9 for being a reliable pair of eyes when mine are just too tired to see. If in the next 50 or so years of our friendship, you require said service, I will only be too happy to oblige. Even if it means sneaking bottles of merlot into the retirement home and pretending to agree that Bob down the hall is a good catch because he has most of his own teeth.

 Happy Random-Monday Powell