“Live your life the way that makes you happy; Love others in the amount they deserve; Laugh at anything even if no one else thinks it’s funny.”

I don’t know who said it first, but one of my buddies just posted this on his Facebook status. It’s pretty timely as far as Six-7 Offsuit goes as I had already planned to write about my boys anyway tonight.

What brought this on?

Easy. Last night, Sons of Anarchy made its season premiere and it rocked. If you don’t watch the show, you should. It’s really well done.

Now, I know what some people may think. It’s all about bikers and hookers and crime and it’s lame, yada, yada, yada.

Sure, some of the stuff is overboard. There’s gun running and “security” details and aiding drug dealers and making porn and being in cahoots with the local police. Oh, and running the neo-nazis out of town. That was an interesting plotline too.

I doubt most biker groups do much of this. Some do, but not all. I’ve had some family and friends in bike clubs and a lot of the way SOA plays out is a strong reflection on real life. Not the lawlessness. That’s not even the point.

Look a lot deeper into last night’s episode and you will find my point. It was completely about family. About how immediate family isn’t the only family; there’s also the extended family called friends. True friends, the kind you will be with until you go to the grave.

I makes me feel lucky to have a great group of friends, minus the gun running.

Although if we did run guns, we’d do it in Toyotas and we’d stop every mile between the Legion and the Park to play bags. Oh, sorry. Inside joke there.

Anyway, they’re not just people I know or who I’ve hung out with a lot. They mean the world to me and know my secrets and have let me in on theirs. They’re guys I’d go to the mat for, even take a bullet.

Seem extreme? Maybe for some. But it’s honestly how I feel.

I love my guys and I’m not afraid to say it. I’d do anything they needed, not because I feel like I have to. No, it’s because we’ve been through too much bullshit over the past 25 or 30 years to give up on each other.

It’s not just the fun stuff, the beer drinking and poker playing that I normally talk about. It’s dealing with death, love, marriage, divorce, kids, alcoholism, everything. It’s so much stuff, I’ve thought of writing a book some time, but unfortunately 1) I think I suck at writing and 2) don’t have time.

Shut up. I don’t have time even though I’m “freelancing” right now. Jerks.

Anyway, I’m pretty lucky. I’ve got a big group worth feeling this way about.

It’s not just one or two idiots back home. It’s a lot of idiots, like Aaron and Dwin, Boo and Rush and Carlson, RJ, Cliffy, Bitch, Adam, Mark and on and on and on. It’s almost like we’re our own little gang, minus the gun running and drugs. And it’s a pretty good feeling to know someone’s always got your back. And that you’ve got theirs too.

Where did all this introspection come from?

Nowhere really. I thought about it some on the long drive back from North Carolina this weekend. I thought about how I have a great best friend in sugar mama and couldn’t ask for more from life. She rocks my world.

And because I’m also really thankful for the other best buds I have. I’ve always felt that way and I think the boys know it, but just figured sometimes it’s better to say it and be safe knowing they know it than to hope they did when it’s too late.

I hope anyone who reads this gets to experience that in their own way. Whether it’s just with one awesome friend or many, I hope people have a chance to live and enjoy true friendship.

That quote at the top of the page? That’s a good way to start. If there’s someone in your life who lives life their way, who is willing to love and be loved and who might be a little off-kilter, hang onto them. They’re probably a good friend.

Oh, and go watch Sons of Anarchy. Just look between the lines and it’ll be worth it.