What's a Friend Worth to You? - the Newest Oldest Professions

Mary's bike enjoying the company of its "friends" at the DC Union Station Bike Station
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My original plan for today's blog was to share some pictures of my daily commute going past some of DC's monuments.  There are two main reasons you are getting a much more cerebral read today.  1) The morning commute was chilly, but my ride home was cold and very very wet, so no time to stop for pictures 2) Even if I did want to stop for pictures, my contact lenses that I forgot to order until I was completely out did not come in yet, so I couldn't be held responsible for what might actually be in those pictures. 


When I zoomed in on my camera, I noticed that this "log" I took a picture of
 was actually one of Georgetown University's Crew teams out for an early morning row.

With my vision impaired, the only place to look during my cold rainy ride was inward... and this is what I came up with...

A friend of mine posted an advertisement to go rock climbing in Garden of the Gods for a great deal of only $50.  I found this odd, since climbing is free.  It was a plug for some friends with a guiding business, and yes, the going rate for climbing with a guide is more than $50.  Rock Climbing has become an increasingly popular sport, with the local crags being more and more crowded even since I was learning back in 2003.  When I saw my first human monkeys scaling the walls at Clear Creek Canyon and started thinking that was something I might like to do, I didn't go out and hire a guide.  I sought out everyone I could find who knew how to climb and begged and pleaded for them to take me with them.  As a beginner, I had to be very persistent in seeking out teachers and mentors, but I never had to pay them to teach me.  I just had to convince them that I was an interesting person to be around and that they would have fun taking me with them!

As my skills progressed, I met more and more friends who were climbers, and most of the time somebody was available who had the same need to get their vertical fix as I did.  When other climbers weren't around, I often had to recruit more reluctant participants into coming with me and give them crash courses on belaying.  In some cases, like in the case of my mother, I would tell them I would give them a "repel lesson" and end up using their newly taught belaying skills to take us both up a 500 foot cliff face.  I should have told my mom the experience would cost her $250, and I would increase my fee if she continued to yell at me for putting her through it!  I made friends of climbers and I made climbers of friends.

As I was surfing the internet to find some mountain bike races to do this year (why am I going to pay somebody beaucoup bucks to ride on public lands I could ride for free any other weekend???), I got sidetracked on links to a coach who would sell you a 12 week plan to become a better racer for $100.  If you paid $400, he would go on a ride with you!  For $250 a month, you could get his plans "customized" to you and even talk to him on the phone about bikes for only $90 an hour.  The thing is, now that I don't have a large group of cycling friends to go riding with and talk about bikes with, I can see how somebody with that kind of disposable income might just go ahead and pay somebody to fill that void.  And you've probably guessed what comes next... but, the next thing i thought about was how paying somebody to do something one would usually do in the context of a friendship, is a bit like hiring a prostitute.

Everyone has personalities, perspectives, talents, skills, and ideas that make them unique, interesting, and somebody that other people want to be friends with.  So when does what you do stop being who you are and start being your profession?  I would not ask my Doctor friends to write me a prescription or my Architect friends to design my house.  I might ask Architect/Builder friends their opinion on what siding colors and styles and architectural features might blend well with an existing brick facade, but I would hope that could be part of a normal human dialogue and that i wouldn't get a bill for the conversation.  Where do you draw the line?