Over 1700 miles separate loss Angeles and
Mike is a Licensed Professional Counselor in LA, his daily working life can be uplifting or traumatic depending on who and what it is that he needs to deal with on any given day. Born the eldest child of 15, he was the man of the household from the age of 14 after his father left. Working three jobs around his studies, to help out the family and put himself through school, he learnt the value of hard work and dedication from a young age.
John is a Louisiana Licensed Social Worker; his background could not be more different if he tried. Born the only child of wealthy parents, his childhood was filled with private schooling and holidays on the beach. Given the chance to travel at young age, he saw parts of the world in a style most of us can only imagine.
These two guys have one thing in common, a bond they say as strong as blood, yet it might surprise you. It’s not belonging to a religious cult or being a certain sexual orientation, but it takes up their every spare moment. They both admit to having spent every spare cent too.
What could bring two men from such different backgrounds, which live so far apart to being the best of friends? The answer is quite simply that they are both Elvis impersonators. These guys have a mutual admiration and respect for each other’s talents and take joy in each other’s successes in competition. The Internet combined with a web cam now allows them to perform in front of one another for encouragement and suggestions on their acts, to show off their rhinestones and try out new moves.
It has been 20 years since they competed in the same competition, but in two months they will go head to head once again. When Mike was asked how the preparations for the big competition were going, his response was “John is going to be amazing, I can’t wait to see him on that stage”, John’s response to the same question “Mike’s new act with his new costume and his new moves will blow everyone away”.
Is this just mutual appreciation or the sign of a deeper friendship that has had to stand the tests of time and distance? They find time to speak or sing to each other every day, despite both being married, having children and stressful jobs. How many of us can say we put this much effort into our friendships? Would we all be this encouraging to our best friend if we were in the same competition?
Make the extra effort, call your best friend and say hello right now. We can all learn something from these guys, friendships develop over time, unfortunately a lot of them deteriorate over time too, don’t let yours.
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