a chicken soup outlook

How many of you have lost a friend? I've lost a few in my life, not to death I'm glad to say but for more avoidable reasons which for one thing or another were...well, unavoidable. It's never easy and each time I'm left with an empty feeling that kind of gnaws away at my sides like a curious rat nibbling at a hunk of leftover cheese. Each time, I'm always at a loss, thinking what I could have done about it or how things could have been different. I try to be an optimist and in this situation, I've managed to find a real (but albeit small) white lining to losing a friend...the hope that when, or if, your paths cross again you will be a better person that you were today. That tomorrow you will be a better person that you were yesterday. The friend I lost called me "chicken soup man" - a play on the popular collections of short stories and because I make soup like comments, which may not solve problems, nor bring riches, but are heart warming stories that might make you feel better. I suppose this entry in itself could be called a chicken soup outlook and might be ridiculed by some as idealist or emotional. Maybe so, but when time's are tough and you're looking for something to pikc you up, a bowl of soup might go a long way. You know what? I'm hungry, hungry for some chicken soup.