Have you ever heard that saying, "People come into our lives for a reason, a season or a lifetime"? We all have people who come into our lives and stay for a short time for whatever reason, but if we're lucky, we have those people who are our friends forever.
My friend, T, is one of those lifetime friends. I've known him for ten years--which doesn't seem possible--and while we've had our ups and downs, I love him...and I know he loves me. I've been really down for the past month or so because I've been having a really hard time of it financially. This new job pays considerably less than I was making--or at least it DID until I heard today that I'm going to get my Master's level pay plus the years' experience that my license hadn't been credited with before now. It's a difference of nearly NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Yep. NINE THOUSAND dollars, which is about 750 dollars per month!!!
Anyway, T has been so supportive and has offered to help me financially--which I didn't really want but then he asked me the magic question: was I getting, at least, to the movies? When I told him that I really haven't been able to afford to go to the movies, he went out and bought me a gift certificate for the movie theatre! Now THAT is a great friend. My escape, my coping mechanism, my island is going to the movies. And T knows that. What's odd is that most of my friends know how much I love going to the movies, but no one has ever bought me a gift card before now. Isn't that weird?
But I digress. T knows me well enough--and cares enough--to buy me the perfect gift. And I'll use it, too! In fact I'll probably go this weekend! I am so grateful to have this guy in my life...I can't even find the words. I am just so glad I know him...
On the other hand, there's James--my former fiance...you know, the one who said he didn't think he could be attracted to me if I lost the weight. He was someone who was in my life for a REASON--and that reason was so that I could meet and fall in love with Shannon, his ex-wife's granddaughter. I love her so much, and we have so much fun together. I stayed with James much longer than I wanted to because of Shannon. Truth is, James was--and is--the biggest loser I ever met. He's a hoarder who lives in a dump of a house. He's a comic book nerd, but not in a "cool, sexy" way, just in a creepy, yucky way. He's cheap, and anytime we did anything, it was because *I* was paying! He wouldn't dream of spending any money!! I ended things with him on August 27, and by Thanksgiving, he had met a new, super-sized woman who's way too good for him as I understand it. She moved in with him and is now stuck because she lost her job, poor thing. Perhaps she'll find HER reason--and maybe it'll be the same as mine--Shannon. Everyone who meets her loves her!
Anyway, today is FRIDAY...and homecoming at school, and a week before Shannon and I (and her grandmother and her boyfriend and son) are going to the State Fair! I can't wait.
Oh, by the way, I've lost 130 pounds, and I seem to be pretty stable. Not gaining and not losing which is fine with me. I wear a size medium or a size large in misses, rather than the plus sizes I've worn for the past 30 years...and I feel GREAT. James would love to see me fail at this, I'm sure, because that's who he is, but I have NO intention of failing. I'm better than I've ever been--and I have friends who love me enough to send me to the movies. How lucky am I?
My friend, T, is one of those lifetime friends. I've known him for ten years--which doesn't seem possible--and while we've had our ups and downs, I love him...and I know he loves me. I've been really down for the past month or so because I've been having a really hard time of it financially. This new job pays considerably less than I was making--or at least it DID until I heard today that I'm going to get my Master's level pay plus the years' experience that my license hadn't been credited with before now. It's a difference of nearly NINE THOUSAND DOLLARS. Yep. NINE THOUSAND dollars, which is about 750 dollars per month!!!
Anyway, T has been so supportive and has offered to help me financially--which I didn't really want but then he asked me the magic question: was I getting, at least, to the movies? When I told him that I really haven't been able to afford to go to the movies, he went out and bought me a gift certificate for the movie theatre! Now THAT is a great friend. My escape, my coping mechanism, my island is going to the movies. And T knows that. What's odd is that most of my friends know how much I love going to the movies, but no one has ever bought me a gift card before now. Isn't that weird?
But I digress. T knows me well enough--and cares enough--to buy me the perfect gift. And I'll use it, too! In fact I'll probably go this weekend! I am so grateful to have this guy in my life...I can't even find the words. I am just so glad I know him...
On the other hand, there's James--my former fiance...you know, the one who said he didn't think he could be attracted to me if I lost the weight. He was someone who was in my life for a REASON--and that reason was so that I could meet and fall in love with Shannon, his ex-wife's granddaughter. I love her so much, and we have so much fun together. I stayed with James much longer than I wanted to because of Shannon. Truth is, James was--and is--the biggest loser I ever met. He's a hoarder who lives in a dump of a house. He's a comic book nerd, but not in a "cool, sexy" way, just in a creepy, yucky way. He's cheap, and anytime we did anything, it was because *I* was paying! He wouldn't dream of spending any money!! I ended things with him on August 27, and by Thanksgiving, he had met a new, super-sized woman who's way too good for him as I understand it. She moved in with him and is now stuck because she lost her job, poor thing. Perhaps she'll find HER reason--and maybe it'll be the same as mine--Shannon. Everyone who meets her loves her!
Anyway, today is FRIDAY...and homecoming at school, and a week before Shannon and I (and her grandmother and her boyfriend and son) are going to the State Fair! I can't wait.
Oh, by the way, I've lost 130 pounds, and I seem to be pretty stable. Not gaining and not losing which is fine with me. I wear a size medium or a size large in misses, rather than the plus sizes I've worn for the past 30 years...and I feel GREAT. James would love to see me fail at this, I'm sure, because that's who he is, but I have NO intention of failing. I'm better than I've ever been--and I have friends who love me enough to send me to the movies. How lucky am I?
I totally get the whole thing about movies. I go to escape for 2 hrs. Sometimes I go by myself because I don't want anyone to mess up my movie experience. I can't stand to go with someone who talks during the movie or who guilts me about whether I eat popcorn or not.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the new income. Awesome, but really you deserve it.
FAS