By the time I moved to Ripley, Tennessee (my parents’ home town), I had already switched schools five times. I was the ultimate Army brat.

The only person I knew when I got there was my cousin Alecia. I give her a ton of credit for welcoming me into her group of friends, and making the transition much easier than it could have been. But still, she was a girl and I was a boy. So at some point, I needed to make my own friends. I was now in 5th grade.

This was also the first year where we students had lockers and switched from one class to another. I was in Louisiana for 3rd and 4th grade (which I may talk about later), where I was pretty much stationed in “home room.” I don’t know which class (or classes) where I eventually met my best friend in Ripley, but it happened soon enough. His name was Blair. We shared a love of Nintendo games and basketball, and that’s all it took for us to form a tight bond. We started hanging out at each other’s homes on many occasions, and I think our driveway basketball showdowns ended up pretty much even.

For three years, we were the best of friends. But then, I moved to another town yet again. My 8th grade year took place in Dickson, Tennessee, where I would remain until my graduation from high school in 1996. During these years, I gained a new (and incredible) set of friends, but I remained in contact with my best friend Blair. From time to time, our parents would “meet in the middle” of a three hour trek, so that one of us could hang out at the other’s house for days (or weeks) at a time. These were some of the most fun times of my young life. We would often spend time drawing our favorite comic book superheroes, playing a lot of video games, and watching a lot of movies. But eventually, we went to different colleges and didn’t maintain very much contact.

Whenever we did talk, it was clear that we were moving in different directions. He went to a university in Washington, DC, while I went to a university in St. Louis. We both changed colleges as well, Blair going to Vancouver, and I going to Greenville, South Carolina. After much effort, we both graduated.

Much like our initial meeting in middle school, I also don’t remember the exact moment when I got the news that Blair decided to become transgender. But I know that when I got the news, I was expectedly shocked. I also remember that I still supported and accepted my best friend’s decision. From this point on, she was Alexis.

Over the many years since, we have maintained contact, but it has been limited to the Playstation Network, where we sometimes message each other, maybe once or twice a year. And I told her recently I give her credit for one thing: she made this transition before it became “cool.”

Yet I must admit, I dearly miss my best friend Blair. Everything has changed now, and this episode is but one of many that has turned me into a dour pessimist about this world we live in. I have suffered through many disappointments, such as the death of my father and sudden rejections from several women I have dated. The world is a fundamentally broken place.

I enjoy reading the Bible, and my favorite book for many years now is Ecclesiastes. I encourage you all to read it. It states a very simple and basic case for the utter unfairness and brokenness of this world. I still hang on to hope (and humor), but I often wonder what the heck is going on.