Freude - Yes, baffling and magnetic they are.
Is it about feeling somehow honoured to be offered to hold their hand and walk the learning curve together? Is it that we somehow enjoy feeling needed?
On a good day there is the reward of the strong bond, which is attractive to us as humans; a bond that we see as being to the real person that we see behind the recovery clouds. I guess this is what I wanted in the story above; to allow myself to run with my heart and not my head; to be that number one confidante and closest friend helping him process his demons.
But are we kidding ourselves. One bad day from them or wrong move by us leads to the realisation of how close we dance to those happy dreams being shattered.