If I ever loved ya, I’ll always love ya; that’s how I was raised
We’re talking about relationships with everybody – romantic, familial, platonic. It’s not an absolute bar – this won’t go down in the annals of hip hop as gold. This is one line, that doesn’t even rhyme (but that did) with itself but it is 100% without a doubt my favourite Drake line. Shit, it’s even one of my favourite lines in literature. I don’t even fuck with Drake like that anymore. This line doesn’t allude to anything deeper than what it represents and when you hear it, you know what it means. The song Keep The Family Close is from the Views album and it only seems like a good album because of how trash his albums have been since 2015. It’s not profound, it’s not a classic, and it’s not even close to anything Drake has as a popular one liner. But for me, the line defines my life and how I see relationships. Oh look, another article where Baron is being soft like Drake.
It’s not that my parents raised me right or that I was just always like this but I do believe it was a culmination of me watching anime, reading manga, my parents’ guidance, and how much I moved around when I was a kid that made me realize quickly what kind of people I liked and disliked. And once I buy into you as a person, I’m sold. You’ve got me for life. When I think about my high school friends who I’ve known since I was 13 to 14 years old – I could literally go months without seeing them but the moment we see each other, it’s all family. And I understand that it sounds a bit egocentric to just be like Oh yeah Baron, you think you’re cool and you attract all the good people? Well if you’re reading this and we’re close. If you feel a genuine connection with me, do you not feel the same? If you do, it’s because you understand what I’m saying.
And I understand that maybe not everyone feels the same about me but that’s fine. You shouldn’t treat others well because you expect them to return the favour, you should treat others well because you want to treat others well. I’m going to be straight up with people I like, I won’t pretend that I won’t. I was recently talking with this girl and I’m pretty sure I scared her off with how into her I was. But that’s fine, I can only operate in this manner. With time and attention being so finite, don’t you want to give those resources to those who are worth it. You don’t want to get older thinking about that friend that you’ve loved dearly but you haven’t spoken to in years just because time and distance got in the way. Those memories are evergreen, no matter the duration of separation. The love I had for you at 16 is the love I’ll have for you at 60,
Now I know I can’t love everybody and obviously that’s not what I meant. If I do like you like that, it’s pretty neat – congrats. But aside from that, just know that the moment we click and I know what the vibe is, you’re in. Being cool with me is pretty much a lifetime membership. I just understand that it takes a lot in this world to get to know someone on a deep level. It takes a lot for many people in the world to be open, transparent, warm, vulnerable, and honest – so when someone opens up to me like that and takes the time to get to know me in the same manner, it means a lot. Additionally, you have to like each other which doesn’t just happen.
I don’t make friends for days, I make friends for life. Yes, I am a little intense and a little too optimistic haha. But if you’re reading this as someone who hasn’t spoken with me in a long time, feel free to reach out – I always reply.
