29. The people you share life with.

I helped one of my best friends pack up and move today.

Tony--who I met during my days at USC--and his wife Carrie are moving back to his hometown of San Jose to be closer to his family as they prepare to have their first child, due in June. I spent much of the day helping him lift heavy furniture and load up the U-Haul, which they'll set out in tomorrow morning (or later this morning, rather).

Helping a friend move is, as the late, great Mitch Hedberg used to say, not as easy as helping a friend stay put ("I just go over to his house and make sure that he does not start to load his [stuff] into a truck."). I certainly would have preferred to have helped Tony stay put; in addition to its more difficult nature, helping a friend move is perhaps one of the most bittersweet favors you can do for someone. You're glad to help them, to be there to see them off as they venture out on the next leg of their journey--but it's not something you necessarily relish doing.

I know Tony is doing what's best for him and his family, but I'm sad to see him go. He has been a constant and steadfast source of inspiration, encouragement, and companionship in the two years since he called me up and invited me to move back to LA to live with him and Charlie (one of my other best friends).

I could probably bore you to tears by listing the myriad reasons why I'm thankful to have had Tony as a near-everyday presence in my life these past few years. So I'll just list five of my favorite reasons:

5. His impeccable sense of style and fashion--which, even though he's let me borrow clothes from time to time, hasn't really rubbed off on me (that's ok, as my good taste in music hasn't rubbed off on him, either).

4. As my workout partner, he's encouraged me to get into the gym way more often than I would have if left to my own devices (it's sad, but when he moved to a different apartment complex six months ago, I found myself going to the gym less and less, until my muscles nearly atrophied back to the shapeless mush they once were).

3. His strong work ethic and discipline, it staggers.

2. Our many long evenings of soul-baring conversation--whether over In-N-Out burgers, glasses of wine at Miceli's, over a game of pool, during a workout session, or at the batting cages--in which we would just share about the victories and defeats of life (which usually boiled down to two specific areas of life: work and girls).

1. The inspiring way Tony lives out his faith: the seriousness with which he approaches his daily spiritual walk, his integrity and honesty, and the tremendous amount of time he spends in prayer and supplication. Again, it staggers.

(Even at just five items, that's a pretty enviable list of qualities, wouldn't you say?)

And so, I write this on the last day of 2008, knowing that the start of a new year is supposed to fill one with a sense of optimism and anticipation. And while I am excited for 2009, I'm also welcoming the new year with the disheartening realization that something significant will be missing from my day-to-day experience in this new year.

I will miss you, my friend.