Without spices food would be just a necessity rather than a delight. So it is with friends who are the spices in our lives. What is better than having a variety of friends?

There are the basic essentials of salt and pepper, the friends we count on to always be there for us. We know who these people are, even if we aren't close on a daily or weekly basis. They are the ones we could call at 3 a.m. to bail us out of jail. Let's think about that.

Being able to call someone in the middle of the night to come bail us out of jail! Imagine. (Yes, yes, this is all quite theoretical.)

Being able to call someone
in the middle of the night
to come bail us out of jail! Imagine.

I have friends who would bail me out and I know how lucky I am. Think about who you would call and count your blessings.
And who would call us? There's another thought-provoker. Probably it would be the people we would call, but maybe not. Most of us know some scoundrel who would call us regardless of the deserving nature of his circumstances. And who would we actually agree to go bail out? I don't suppose it is everyone who might call us - i.e. the scoundrel, but it might be. Most of us have, or have had at some time, a scoundrel in our lives who is rather like a paprika - great for perking up the taste buds, but not palatable in large doses.

Everyone has a sugar friend. People who are sweet find us, they have to be friends. We often take them for granted, however. If we stop for a moment and consider how much these sweet people contribute to our lives, we may become more appreciative.

Some friends are like licorice, an acquired taste. These people are so different that we might make a little face on first nibble, but they grow on us. Then there are friends from another culture, perhaps akin to discovering curry. Yum, where has this been all my life?

Most of us have,
or have had at some time,
a scoundrel in our lives
who is rather like
a paprika - great for
perking up the taste buds, but not palatable
in large doses.

There are definitely garlic friends, zesty and interesting, but who come with the danger of overpowering us. Maybe they stay a little too long or give us a stomach ache after large doses of their company. But let's not forget what they add to our lives.

If all our friends are too much like us, life is rather dull. We take for granted the wonderful assortment of spices that liven up our food. Imagine what dining would become if all our food was bland. Let's spice up our lives with a wonderful assortment of friends.

After considering which of our friends resemble which spice, let's think about what spice comes to our friends' minds when they think about us.

Jean Loxley-Barnard has been a writer all her life and studied both sociology and psychology at George Washington University where she earned a B.A. Her company, The Shopper, Inc., encompasses all the Loxley-Barnard family publications - The Shopper Magazines and Doctor to Doctor Magazine. She has been in the advertising, consulting and publishing business for 39 years.