October 27, 2019, on the soccer field in our adult league. Early in the second half, I ran up on a slow-moving ball, planted my left foot, kicked it with my right and suddenly my left knee failed. I was on my back. The trainer checked my knee. “You’re done for the day. Sit down. Ice it” When the game ended. I stood up. It felt like two bad cramps in my quads (the front of my legs). I couldn’t put any pressure on my legs at all. They used a golf cart to get me to my car and load me in the back seat. There was no way I could drive. My wife, Lynnda was with me. She couldn’t drive either because she just had knee surgery. We were in a car neither of us could drive. In the midst of the stress, she laughed, “What now?”

Fortunately, we have true friends. The kind of friends who you can call anytime and they are there to help. Lynnda called Cindy and Joe. On a Sunday evening they drove 30 minutes to the field. Cindy drove our car home. I still assumed I had cramps. At home I couldn’t get out of the car. Cindy drove us to the ER. She stayed with Lynnda while the doctors worked on me. Sometime after midnight Cindy went home, Lynnda stayed. It took several days for doctors to put all of the pieces together. I was diagnosed with two torn tendons in my quads requiring surgery to repair. For two months I was in a wheelchair. The healing process and physical therapy took over six months, getting me out of the house during the pandemic. We still don’t know what caused the injury. Most doctors said, “You are a little old to be playing that game.” I was able to run a half-marathon again in December of 2020.

In the Bible, Sirach 6:14 states, “A faithful friend is a sturdy shelter, he who finds one finds a treasure.” True friends are people we can depend on. They are people we call when we need someone to listen and not judge. Friends are honest with us and don’t just tell us what we want to hear. Friends are loyal. They stand by us in good times and bad. If we want to have friends we must first be a friend. Lynnda and I were friends BEFORE we were married. Being a friend means putting others needs ahead of our own. Cindy and Joe could have stayed home with their family relaxing, watching TV. When Lynnda called they dropped what they were doing and came to help. Lynnda and I gladly do the same for them.

Growing up, my friend Rick and I were close friends. We went through a lot together. One evening after a high school basketball game, at McDonalds, the “Hoods” (Black leather jacket guys) showed up. One started to pick a fight with Rick. I was in a car with Rick’s cousin, Jim. I put down my hamburger and took off my glasses. Jim said, “What are you doing!” “I’m not letting Rick stand out there alone.” I’m not a fighter. My heart was pounding. As I exited the car the Hood Leader said to Rick, “You and who else?” By the time I got to Rick, our other friends were out of their cars. Rick looked back and said, “These guys.” Things could have gotten very ugly. Suddenly three police cars lights flashing raced into the parking lot. Six cops jumped out. Two of the Hoods took off running, cops in pursuit. I breathed a sigh of relief. We were happy to get in our cars and leave. Rick and I are still good friends. I came back early from my honeymoon to be Rick’s Best Man at his wedding. Last year we both celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversaries together.

In January, Lynnda and I were on vacation in Florida during part of the severe cold. Our house is all electric. If we lost power while we were gone our pipes would freeze and rupture flooding our first floor and crating a rainstorm in our kitchen and living room from the upstairs bathrooms. When we got home we attended a meeting in Richmond, Virginia, where they had periods of rain, snow and extreme cold. Everything was covered with nine inches of ice, including solar panels. We track power usage on the PJM grid on-line. In January for 9-days due to weather renewables contributed NO POWER to the grid. True friends are there when we need them most. When electricity was most needed, natural gas was the fuel producing electricity to keep the lights and heat on in the entire region. Natural gas kept my water pipes from freezing. Wind and solar are like acquaintances. We are friendly to them and treat them with respect. Acquaintances can become friends. We know we can’t depend on them.

The Iran war shows how dependent the world is on fossil fuels. If there was a dependable economical solution it would have been quickly implemented when the Strait of Hormuz closed. This week at Marietta College, engineers, scientists and others gathered for the Earth, Energy & Environment Conference. They are working on solutions people can afford to meet our need for additional sustainable baseload power, improving the environment and lowering carbon emissions.

They showed the potential for increased economical energy from hydro, geothermal and decarbonization of natural gas. All offer opportunities to increase baseload power production and reduce global emissions. Last week I attended another conference on producing geothermal energy in our region. Over 85% of Iceland’s electricity is produced by cheap, carbon free, geothermal energy. Modern horizontal drilling developed by the oil and gas industry may make geothermal economically feasible here.

We can never have enough faithful friends. If we want friends, we need to be friends who are trustworthy, dependable and caring. We need to expect the same from our energy. It is possible.

Greg Kozera, gkozera@shalecrescentusa.com is the Director of Marketing for Shale Crescent USA. He is a professional engineer with a Masters in Environmental Engineering and over 40 years of experience in the energy industry. Greg is a leadership expert, high school soccer coach, professional speaker, author of four books and many published articles.