I know there are events in our lives that make us stronger people…that mold us into who we are. Moving to DC was one of those events for me. While I love living here, it hasn’t been easy. There have been obstacles to overcome when all I wanted to do was flee back to Alabama…to home…where my friends and family wait for me. And yes, I do mean wait. There are friends who bet me that I would be back by Christmas. I assured them I wouldn’t, but there were times when I feared they may be right. I guess fear is the wrong word. The decision to move here was a long, thought-out process..one that I couldn’t have made without the help of friends. One of my biggest hesitations was the fear of failing. What if I didn’t make it and had to come home? What if I hated it and came crawling back with my tail between my legs? What if I just couldn’t stay above water? A dear, very wise friend told me that it wasn’t failing if I never tried. And it wasn’t failing period. I think it just took her reasoning and wonderful assurance that I wouldn’t be a failure even if I did come home because I did do it..it just didn’t work out for whatever reason. And she assured me that I need not worry what my friends and family would think because they would never consider me a failure for having the courage to do it. And she assured me that I would always be welcome with open arms no matter how long (or little) I stayed in DC.
Tonight I’m missing that friend, along with all the others. And my family. I miss them a lot, but I have a wonderful family here now and I’m blessed to have family in all corners of the country now. I’m blessed, but still missing them. I miss her infectious laugh and the way she brightens any room the minute she smiles. I miss the friend who knows me better than anyone and who knows what I’m thinking without a word. I miss the friend who has helped me through the toughest times in my life and is the rock that I lean on. I miss the friend I grew up with..the one I know I can always pick up where we left off. I miss the friend who helped me grow up and helped make me into the woman I am today…I hope I am half the woman she is. I miss the friend who is struggling with her own demons right now, but has helped me in ways she’ll never know. I miss the friend lost over stupid immaturity before it was too late. I miss the friend who took care of me for many years and still does. I miss the friend who thinks that I’ll never be replaced. I miss the friend who I connected with online and then in person. I miss the mother I reconnected with and who has become so much more since. I miss the friend who took my mind off things when I poured my heart out to her at dinner every week. And I miss my dad like nobody’s business. This is a post to let you all know you’re thought of, loved and missed. Tonight and every.
I was watching The Today Show this morning and they had a correspondent in Scranton, NJ for the ‘Office’ convention. The NBC show ‘The Office’ is set in Scranton and the town was holding a convention in its honor. They had some of the actors from the show there and I had no idea that Creed was one of the original members of the band The Grass Roots (and plays himself on the show). They sang “Midnight Confessions,” “Sooner or Later” and others. Actually, I knew a lot more of their songs than I realized. Scary, huh? You can hear some of their tunes here. How many do you recognize?
