Pillars of strength

Noun 1. pillar of strength - a person who can be relied on to give a great deal of support and comfort



I don’t know how many you’re supposed to have. But, I have three very important people in my life who give me strength, encouragement and are always up for a good laugh.

They have all come into my life at different times. The thing that is common about each is that they have never left. With them there is no shame or reason to lie about what is going on in the land of Joice and the number one thing is that they are ALWAYS there for me, no matter what time of the day. (I say this being in Orlando. I have pushed the boundaries with phone calls and emails at ungodly hours.)
I will never reveal the names of these people. They know who they are and people close to me might guess. But here’s a little info? about each person

My Heart
This is my name for the first person. She is my heart. Without her I don’t know what I would do. She guides me daily and, in some ways, raised me. I don’t seek her approval but I do know that I never do anything without getting her opinion first.
She is such the opposite of me and that is why I think this relationship works. I’m the fire cracker of the friendship. She is the sensible side of my brain. But, every now and then I get her to do things so out of character. From changing her hairstyle that she has had like forever, to buying something that she clearly does not need but it would be so great to have.

She’s such a peaceful soul that has been through a lot and with this in mind I love her even more. She ALWAYS has time for me.

Mr No Sleep
This is my name for the second person. He, as my nickname for him states, never sleeps. This is great for me because he’s always on call. We talk about everything on a daily basis. We feed off each other’s humour. I’m sure if I was not around he would get so much more work done. But as of yet he has not complained.

Don’t get me wrong, humour is not the only thing that binds us. He has a wealth of advice. But most of all, I have noticed over the past couple of years he has told me it’s ok to make the decisions I have made. He has talked me down when I have been at breaking points. But most of all, he has humoured me taking me for 4-hour walks in Osaka shopping for clothes that were never going to fit me. (I’m a little bigger than your average Japanese girl). He recognises that Joice sometimes just needs to escape.

Ms Calm
This young lady I have never seen loose her temper or act out. Drama follows most of my friends but not this person. Because of this I love her dearly. She lives on the other side of the world when I’m in London. Now I’m in Orlando there is still a time difference that we have to negotiate.

I have never in my life seen her loose it but there was one time when she did. By coincidence she broke down in tears thinking she was stranded without my contact details in Twickenham or was it Teddington? (I don’t remember. Begins with a T). Unbeknown to her the stranger that came to her rescue (and I do mean stranger) was my cousin. Don’t ask!!!!