Southern Gents

So there is some truth in that whole "southern gentleman" thing. Let me explain...
I landed in Austin last Thursday. My totally rad friend, Liana was there, curbside with a sign saying, "Welcome ANNA BANANA!!" to greet me when I walked out of the airport doors. This past weekend we did a quick little road trip to Dallas. It was a girls / guys trip. You see, Liana’s finance, Terry was playing in a flag football tournament with his friends Otto and Ben. So us girls just tagged along!

Though, there was plenty of fun and laughter a plenty – there were lessons to be learned and life changes to be made. Sure, I’ve written about friendships and relationships in the past, but this trip to Austin further developed the things I’d been thinking and feelings.
Terry stands about 6’-3". A cowboy in every sense of the word. Ok, so he doesn’t ride a horse (or a cow)…but he does wear cowboy hats and has a giant truck, that rumbles loudly. He has guns, as in he carries them. Not that we’d need it, but IF we did…he’d have it. Now, Liana, she’s 5’-2" and probably barely hits a 100 pounds. Sure, she’s small…but she’s a strong, independent, I-can-take-care-of-myself, sort of girl. She doesn’t exude the, "I need a big burly man to take care of me." Quite the opposite. Why does any of this matter? Terry protects and looks out for Liana like it’s his job in life. I noticed that the moment I met him. He adores her. Wants her to be happy. Will do anything to protect her safety. I liked him immediately. I liked him because he was loving and taking care of this woman, my friend the way she deserved to be loved and cared for.

Well, apparently Terry doesn’t JUST care for Liana. He cares for everyone he’s friends with. And his friends…yea, they’re the same way. On our drive to Dallas, the boys would call us, to make sure we weren’t hungry or needed to go to the bathroom. If they didn’t see our lights right behind them, they’d worry. When we got stopped at a red light, and they got to Starbucks, all three of them waited outside so we could all walk in together. None of this was to be controlling or overbearing…it was because they cared and wanted us to be safe, because the respected us. There was never a moment that I thought it was too much. Though, Liana let me know sometimes it can be. Oh well, I saw the love and good intentions in their actions.

On the ride home, as I thought about these respectful, thoughtful and generous southern gentlemen, I wandered back to a drive to Mammoth last year. A drive when my guy friends were willing to leave us girls behind to drive it alone. They’d call and ask us to pick things up that they forgot. When we arrived, they were joyfully drinking cocktails…our cocktails were no where in sight. I knew I was annoyed that particular day, but couldn't quite put my finger on why I was annoyed. As I said before, hindesight is 20/20...and it's now clear to me that I didn't feel respected by the very people who should be respecting me. My friends.
It was at that point, I decided I could learn something from these Texans. As I’m not settling for the man who is lucky enough to get to spend his life with me…I’m also not settling in the friend department.

A friend picks you up from the airport, even when they're sick or tired.
A friend waits for you when you fall behind.
A friend helps carry your load.
A friend cares enough to ask how you're doing.
A friend know what you need, is ready to give...without you having to ask.

A friend does this, because they know that you'd do exactly the same thing for them.

While I think I have plenty of friends who’d act in much the same way as these guys did, I’d like to thank Otto, Terry and Ben for showing me what a gentleman is, and how he acts, how he treats his lady, his friends, strangers on the street and his family. Your actions have showed me there is no reason to settle for any sort of relationship.