Dancing

I have no reason to feel like Im gonna lose one of my good friends any time soon, but I was watching a movie today and the song "I Hope You Dance" came on after someone died, and one friend in particular came to mind. All of a sudden, I was overwhelmed with the thought of her passing - as Im sure the movie intended its viewers to do - and I was in tears. Fresh off a trip to Atlanta, trying to decompress, and I was immediately taken somewhere else.

I dont know if all of you are familiar, so let me hip you to some of the lyrics:

"I hope you still feel small when you stand beside the ocean.
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens.
Promise me that you'll give faith a fighting chance,
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance,
I hope you dance.
I hope you dance."

Yo.

That songs has some real powerful lyrics. If you have never heard it, please search it out and do so. It really captures the simplicity of life, as well as the focus of what's really important. Dont sweat the small stuff, folks. Dont sweat the small stuff.

While I was away this weekend, I met up with one of my close friends during a long layover I had, and we were discussing a couple of other friends of ours. Two in particular are the same age as us - one just found out she has cancer, the other just found out she has some kind of mass growing on her brain and the doctors dont quite know what it is. Really dude? Life aint shit. I was JUST talking about how life will blow by you and be gone before you know it with another friend of mine before I left, and there I was, having an identical conversation with someone else. Crazy.

In thinking about losing this friend, I realized how much her friendship means to me. I dont know what I would do without it, and honestly, I dont know what I ever did before I met her. I was flying the not-always-so-friendly skies this weekend, and I could have gone down in flames, or been in a car accident while I was away. She could have been in a car accident while I was away. Anything can happen at any given time. Life is short. Make sure your friends know how important they are to you. I know my focus in this blog is on one friend in particular, but I want all my friends to know that I love them and I dont want the first time you hear it to be at your memorial services. You know who you are. If you even THINK Im talking to you, I am.

I intend to live a full life, long or short, and that means Im gonna do some things that some of you may think crazy, or disapprove of. Understand that while your opinion does matter to me, it wont change anything I feel I need to do for myself. I wont be 80 with no stories to tell and I wont die at a young age, wishing I had done more. You shouldnt either. No judgment here. Live your damn life. No one can do it for you.

Dont be bitter about love lost. Love, by definition, is a conquering force that will eventually prevail. It will come back around if you are patient. Dont hold animosity in your hearts toward people who wronged you. Karma is a bitch in 6-inch stilletos and even when you dont personally bear witness, fucked up people get payback - in cash. Hate your boss? Get in line. Most of us do. He or she probably hates you too, but you still have that job, so be grateful, and if or when a time comes that you dont, trust that its for the best and that better things are coming down the pipeline. Live, love and appreciate the little things, like friendship and butterflies and sunsets and $4 off at Red Lobster, because those are the things that put smiles on our faces, even when we are too busy to notice.

Thats all. Im going to dance around the living room with my kids now. Yall enjoy your night.