“I am an evil giraffe, and I shall eat more leaves
from this tree than perhaps I should,
so that other giraffes may die.”
- Eddie Izzard

 

I really had a meaningful and insightful quote to share with you this morning, but I found that one yesterday afternoon, and it made me laugh.  And, I was all like, “It’s Friday, and we should be lighthearted and irreverent today.  Fuck it.”

The end of today means I have just 1.5 weeks left till my Christmas holiday begins.  I cannot wait.  CANNOT.  There is no Christmas spirit in this building.  Everyone is angry and frustrated and tired.  And that usually spills over to “take it out on Sarah”.  I don’t mind, and I try to take it with a smile, but it generally just exhausts me by the end of the day.  I’m sure Bryan hates the me that makes it home; she is tired, she is beaten, and she just wants to lay on the couch and go to bed. 

Doing a show will help me.  It forces me to be energetic.

I just want to share something very quickly.  Well, maybe not very quickly.

About two years ago, I was in a play called “The Women”.  I actually kept to myself during most of the run, because of other issues that were happening in my life.  I didn’t really make an effort to befriend any of the girls in the show, which was stupid on my part, but I figured they didn’t really want to be my friend.  I rationalized that I was there to do a show, not to make friends. 

As fate would have it, I made a lot of friends in that show.  Very good friends, whom I still keep in constant touch with.  It was a blessed opportunity for forty very talented women to meet and network amongst ourselves.  A large part of the cast is still very close.

One of those women led a life that I envied.  Terribly.  She had a VERY high-paying job, she had beautiful children and  a loving husband, she had a gorgeous house.. she had everything I aspired to have.  But what was the most amazing about her was that she hoarded none of it.  She gave.  A lot.  She did a ton of volunteer work, she supported many theatre groups, and she participated in tons of local charities.  And perhaps the most amazing thing about her was that she treated her friends as if they were her equals, never needing to point out the difference in their circumstances. 

I can’t tell you how many bottles of wine she’s picked up, or how many dinners she’s had at her house, and never without complaint.  When dining out, she would quietly steal the bill, and when we fought it, she would say, “No, I can afford it; it’s my gift.”  It was never a discussion of our situation, it was merely stating that she wanted to do this.  She and I spent many late nights discussing life and how we came to where we were; she has always given me guidance softly, never pushing and never prodding and rarely judging.

She is one of the strongest women I know.  She has taught me more than I can put into words, but I try and exercise it every day.  Now that I’m in a better position, I give to charities.  I volunteer.  Not too much, but what I can.  I try and pass that value on to The Boy.  I constantly check on those I love and ask if there is anything they need, and if there is, I help without question or hesitation. 

She teaches in everything she does.  I am a student of hers.  I love her dearly, and she needs to know that she is appreciated, even when things are hard.  I’m proud of her.  And I look up to her.

So much for light-hearted and irreverent.  But very true.