When your best friend makes you a better person, it makes for a good story
SAN DIEGO -- Fifteen years ago this week, I lost my best friend.
And yet the memory of this special young man -- who was also my college roommate -- remains a blessing. He is always on my mind, and his spirit at my side.
In his final years, we had drifted apart. There is no good excuse. You get busy with life, consumed with work. You take for granted that friends will always be there. Until, one day, they're not.
Lately, I think about him because of things big and small -- our upcoming 30th college reunion, Pete Buttigieg's presidential bid, the start of baseball season.
The first thing you must know about Joseph Henry Cice is that his most impressive credential was not his bachelor's degree in government from Harvard or his master's degree in social work and health administration from San Diego State University. It was his "Ph.D." in human relationships.
My father calls it "people power." Political observers look at Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and speak of "emotional intelligence." Some people have social skills that are off the charts. Psychologists label these folks "extroverts" and say they get re-charged by being around other people. They're always engaged and looking out for others.
That was Joe.
My friend ignored the parental directive: "Don't talk to strangers." He'd stroll up to people he didn't know with a big smile, look them in the eye, and say: "Hi, I'm Joe. What's your name?"
At 18, when I met him, he thought that he might someday run for office. Later, he toyed with the idea of running campaigns and helping elect others. Finally, when he moved to California after college, he found his calling: social work. He helped young people make better choices.
Harvard, where Joe and I met, is full of people who take themselves too seriously. Joe took his friendships, causes and beliefs seriously -- but never himself. How could he with his goofy trademark line: "Get me psyched!"
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