Last night, I went and saw Hernan Cattaneo at The Triffid in Brisbane with a few of my mates. The Triffid is a pretty intimate venue, resembling an old-style steel airplane hangar. The music was a progressive house style and super funky. I've always enjoyed house music and feel like it activates a section of my mind that may lay dormant at times.

Over the years, I've been to various gigs and events, and many of these have led to quite deep and profound experiences that have helped develop different spiritual and emotional pathways, as well as a deeper sense of understanding and enjoyment of life. I know that destructive behaviours like alcohol can have a detrimental effect on our minds and bodies. However, I also feel like they create better communication pathways to connect on a deeper level with the experiences we have, as well as the connections and relationships we develop in those arenas.

Several years ago, my wife met a girl called Sophie. It was quite a random meeting through a mutual friend, but quickly their relationship developed, and they became very good friends—now best friends, I would say. As their relationship grew, I met and started to form a connection with Sophie's boyfriend at the time, Josh.

Our first proper interaction was a night out in Brisbane at the TBC, an old underground techno establishment that was deep, hard, and funky. From that moment on, we began and developed a deep-rooted relationship. We have had many amazing experiences, shared many fond memories, travelled the world, been part of their bridal party, and now we are starting to grow our families together.

One thing about being an immigrant is that you have no family, and that's the case for pretty much all of our friends, including Josh and Sophie. Subsequently, we form deeper connections on a more familial level, which is exactly what is developing amongst us all.

Josh and I have various things in common, but you may not realize it at first from a surface level perspective. He's very much a cliché proper Englishman and works as a doctor in the emergency department. He's a very calm and collected guy, and it's very unusual to see him lose his cool. However, the one thing we do connect very deeply on is from an emotional and somewhat spiritual standpoint. I think the various experiences we've had together, the moments of good and bad times, the collection of milestones we've shared, and the range of conversations about life have all helped develop this family metric into more of a brotherhood and an uncle-type family figure to my children. It has begun to form expansive dynamics into a person of great value, someone I feel I can lean on in times of need, if required, and I strongly feel vice versa.

Last night, we were dancing. The crowd was euphoric, the energy was extremely happy and connected, and the vibe was pumping. I went to grab some drinks, and as I was walking back in, I saw a beacon of energy coming from the centre of the crowd. Josh was beaming, and the crowd was being drawn to him. I stopped and looked at him, and in that moment, I realized just how much he meant to me. I've known for a long time that he was one of my best and closest friends, but at that moment, I had a strong feeling of appreciation for him and a realization of just how much that relationship meant to me.

The majority of my closest friends are ones from high school or university. Josh and a handful of others are the exception to this, and I feel very grateful for them. I think during your formative years as you develop into an adult, you form deep connections with long-lasting friends through growth, trials, tribulations, and an assortment of new and unknown experiences. The ability to form deeper relationships as you get older becomes more difficult. Your time is more scarce, your responsibilities increase, and you don't have as many opportunities to develop relationships through new experiences.

I think sometimes life just places or guides you on a pathway towards something or someone that's meant to be, whether that be your life partner or a new friend. It's within these new opportunities that we may or may not uncover a deep connection to something or someone that can help develop new threads of life within our energy. It's the universal connection between humans at its deepest level.

It's important to take a step back, reflect, and appreciate things for what they are. Realizing that something or someone has had a profound impact on your life may not be as clear as you think until you have a true moment to see what it is for what it is. It's in that moment that we need to give our mind space to progress and be truly grateful for the opportunity that's been presented.

Life is life, and things just happen as they happen, but if you can stop, reflect, and appreciate what you have and how life has transformed, then you are succeeding within yourself and on a strong path in the search for happiness.

Josh, may the memories continue for as long as life gives us the opportunities to pursue them. Live long, enjoy every moment, and remember, it’s always got to be deep, hard and funky.

Cheers Brother,

Dean