Unlikely Friendships We Cherish

Okay. I just spent the past couple of hours in the spy museum here in Washington DC, and there’s unbelievably crazy cool things like covert operations that are now revealed. Tools and tricks and techniques that spies have used to keep secrets and accomplishment all of the time.

But one of the things that really touched me was the story about these guys named Mohab and Gonin. So Mohab was from a middle Eastern country. And he decided to turn on the organization that he’d spent his life being a part of. His father had founded this terrorist organization and Mohab decided to turn on that organization to become a spy. And Gonin was his handler from a European country and they would exchange information and ultimately took down the terrorist cell and stopped them from doing suicide bombs all over the Middle East, saved who knows how many lives.

But here’s where the story gets interesting and what touched me. After this Mohab decides to do a very brave thing and comes forward because he wants to seek asylum and come to a new country, ultimately America. So he comes forward with his story and Gonin and comes and testifies on how important the role Mohab played and Gonin was on his side. And this guy needs to be saved. He needs to be kept free, needs to be kept safe. So now he’s advocating for him to be moved to America. And these guys couldn’t be from more different backgrounds.

Like one guy is white guy from Europe, the other guy is Middle Eastern. I mean, they couldn’t have been from more different backgrounds and play different roles But they showed us a video in there where I learned all of this and Mohab and Gonin have now become lifelong, like best friends and I couldn’t help, but think…I think one of the greatest gifts we get is when you have an unlikely friendship, because those are the friendships that I think go deepest and touch you.

And of course it makes me think of my friendship with Adam Froerer. I don’t know what my life would be like had I not met Adam Froerer and I almost was emotional when I was listening to this particular story, because Mohab said the same thing about Gonin. Like, I don’t know how my life would be had I not met this person, someone who I could trust. Someone who I know is there for me. Someone who I know believes in me. And in this case, someone who saved his life.

Now, look, Adam has never saved my life. He’s never, you know, ran into a burning building to get me out. He’s never, in this case, like the guy had to call him and be like, get out of the building now run and don’t stumble. And he runs out and the building explodes. Adam’s never done that for me, but he has certainly saved my life emotionally and spiritually. And it’s one of the greatest gifts ever.

So if you’re lucky enough to have an unlikely friendship, I want you to cherish it. And if you haven’t had this experience, I want you to be open to the fact that sometimes a friendship comes in a package that’s totally different from where you’re from and what you’ve experienced before. And just be open to letting those new experiences into your life because I promise you, it makes the biggest difference in the world.