I threw the bachelor party for my cousin Doug.
He's an old soul, so it was stripper-free. It might not have been stripper-free had he not requested a golf game followed by a cookout followed by many games of cornhole ("bags" to some people).
For those not familiar with the game, it's like horseshoes but better suited for drinking. The heavy rusted hunks of metal have been replaced with cloth sacks full of corn kernels and sewn shut, and the iron stakes in the ground are replaced with a plywood board with a 6" hole. It's very fun, and you get better at it the more you drink. Scientifically proven. We got very good that night.
Some old friends came out and we had a great reunion. Nothing debaucherous, nothing naughty, just catching up and enjoying each others' company.
This weekend I realized that my cousin - my best friend - is gone. He will forever be part of another half. He will be a fraction of a decision.
And he didn't go out with a bang, he went out with a nice night of togetherness and catching up with some food, some drinks, and some games. This may be the beginning of a new kind of fun: enjoyment for the rarity of reunion. Skip the madness - just enjoy the fact that you all could coordinate your lives to see each other.
I think I didn't pay enough attention when it was easy to get together with my friends. I see that now, and it will change the way I treat my time-tested comrades. After all, this feeling can only get worse...
