Seven words and a Superstar
Isn't it funny how significant seven little words can be. The average length of one sentence, they can add up to nothing. On the other hand, they can change the course of your life for a moment or a lifetime. In the case of my best friend Bethany, there have been several times when seven words have had such a strong impact that she had to stop and re-think everything.
Last fall I wrote a blog post entitled "What's for you won't pass by you." The day before, the man she had been with for four years, and intended to spend the rest of her life with, changed her world with seven words. "I don't think I can move there" was the sentence he used that paralyzed her for the better part of a year. If you know Bethany, you know it is not often that she sells completely out to something. So when she was promised the moon and stars, only to have it yanked back, she was devastated. Seven words that forever changed the way she looked at herself. It was so sad for the rest of us around her to see her in such a state. But as she slowly began to turn the corner, we all cheered her on to where she is today.
About two months ago, while on the phone, she and I were chatting about some of the people she had been dating since she got back on her feet. I was so proud of her and the way she had finally picked up the pieces and was moving forward. As we talked and joked (she and I share a very similar sense of humor that not a lot of others get), I said seven little words to her. And while I won't share them here, I will only say she quickly got off the phone and we didn't speak again for more than a month. A drastic change from the daily conversations we had, I knew that the words I had strewn together had changed our friendship. I had crossed a line I shouldn't have, and while we now are back to talking and joking with each other, I don't think I ever really apologized for saying what I did. I am sorry Miss B. Joke or not, I nearly lost our friendship by my words. I am grateful that I didn't.
In the last year she and I have often spoken about a bucket list. At the top of it was trying our hand at a comedy act. After all we crack each other up, and when we go places we generally have the people around us in stitches as well. We are a great combination of humor and sarcasm together, and each equally funny on our own. So when she said recently "I am going to do stand up", I knew she would be an instant success. She wasn't as sure though, spending hours in her living room rehearsing for the 10 minute set, bouncing ideas off of her great circle of friends, and even making herself sick thinking about it. . Last night, though, she checked that item off her list. And while I couldn't be there to cheer her on due to family obligations, I hear she did a phenomenal job. You can read about it on her blog (www.datingbethany.com), where soon she hopes to have a video of her performance there as well. It will be must see TV for me, though I hope to get a glimpse of the live version in public. She is going to do it again, and this time, I will be there to lose my stand up virginity as well. As for last night, I am both jealous and proud of her. No one, including me, is more suited to make people laugh out loud than she is. Now she knows it too. It was a good birthday present for her from herself.
We have come a long way since the high school days when we couldn't stand to be in the same room together. She has been my strongest source of support through the divorce, the subsequent "packing a lifetime of dating into two years" phase I went through, and now the happiness I have found in my life. I am moving forward with a new job, an upcoming wedding, and a bucket list I am just starting. She is doing the same, and I have never been prouder to call her friend. Or BFFL in her case. And as we both continue the momentum, we each know the other will be the loudest voice in the crowd cheering us on.
Happy Birthday Miss Bethany. I love ya...........................
Have a great weekend everyone...................
Last fall I wrote a blog post entitled "What's for you won't pass by you." The day before, the man she had been with for four years, and intended to spend the rest of her life with, changed her world with seven words. "I don't think I can move there" was the sentence he used that paralyzed her for the better part of a year. If you know Bethany, you know it is not often that she sells completely out to something. So when she was promised the moon and stars, only to have it yanked back, she was devastated. Seven words that forever changed the way she looked at herself. It was so sad for the rest of us around her to see her in such a state. But as she slowly began to turn the corner, we all cheered her on to where she is today.
About two months ago, while on the phone, she and I were chatting about some of the people she had been dating since she got back on her feet. I was so proud of her and the way she had finally picked up the pieces and was moving forward. As we talked and joked (she and I share a very similar sense of humor that not a lot of others get), I said seven little words to her. And while I won't share them here, I will only say she quickly got off the phone and we didn't speak again for more than a month. A drastic change from the daily conversations we had, I knew that the words I had strewn together had changed our friendship. I had crossed a line I shouldn't have, and while we now are back to talking and joking with each other, I don't think I ever really apologized for saying what I did. I am sorry Miss B. Joke or not, I nearly lost our friendship by my words. I am grateful that I didn't.
In the last year she and I have often spoken about a bucket list. At the top of it was trying our hand at a comedy act. After all we crack each other up, and when we go places we generally have the people around us in stitches as well. We are a great combination of humor and sarcasm together, and each equally funny on our own. So when she said recently "I am going to do stand up", I knew she would be an instant success. She wasn't as sure though, spending hours in her living room rehearsing for the 10 minute set, bouncing ideas off of her great circle of friends, and even making herself sick thinking about it. . Last night, though, she checked that item off her list. And while I couldn't be there to cheer her on due to family obligations, I hear she did a phenomenal job. You can read about it on her blog (www.datingbethany.com), where soon she hopes to have a video of her performance there as well. It will be must see TV for me, though I hope to get a glimpse of the live version in public. She is going to do it again, and this time, I will be there to lose my stand up virginity as well. As for last night, I am both jealous and proud of her. No one, including me, is more suited to make people laugh out loud than she is. Now she knows it too. It was a good birthday present for her from herself.
We have come a long way since the high school days when we couldn't stand to be in the same room together. She has been my strongest source of support through the divorce, the subsequent "packing a lifetime of dating into two years" phase I went through, and now the happiness I have found in my life. I am moving forward with a new job, an upcoming wedding, and a bucket list I am just starting. She is doing the same, and I have never been prouder to call her friend. Or BFFL in her case. And as we both continue the momentum, we each know the other will be the loudest voice in the crowd cheering us on.
Happy Birthday Miss Bethany. I love ya...........................
Have a great weekend everyone...................
Very touching, Michael. xoxoxo
ReplyDelete