Posts Tagged ‘memories’

You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

Once upon a time, two best friends and roommates were kind enough to offer a bed to an old friend who happened to be in town. The three of them went out one night and had a drink or ten. At some point in the evening, the old friend started to diss one of the best friends to the other while that friend wasn’t around. Next thing that happened was that the one best friend pulled the other best friend out of the bar, and they returned to their apartment, leaving the old friend in the bar wondering what happened.

Once at their apartment, the one girl started throwing all of the old friend’s clothes off of the balcony and onto the train tracks below. Not knowing why, the girl who had been dissed was confused, but still did her fair share of throwing stuff off the balcony.

Some time later, the whole story came out, and the friend that had been trash-talked hugged her best friend close and smiled.

I don’t think that it will come as much of a shock to anyone to hear that the above tale is a true story. It happened to me and Laurie. What might come as a surprise is that it was not me that started throwing Douchie’s (not her real name, but fitting) clothes off the balcony. It was, in fact, me that was being dissed. And it was Laurie that stood up for me, and it was Laurie that was upset enough at what was said to start tossing Douchie’s bras off the balcony.

Thanks, Laur.
That’s still one of my favourite memories.

Had the situation been reversed, I would have done the same thing.

Don’t diss my friends. It’s not a good idea. I am likely to do things that you won’t enjoy. I’m not saying that I’ll wreck your shit – I’m older and wiser now – but I will not take it lightly. It is likely that I will never speak to you again. It’s is also likely that I will ensure that other people are made aware of what a back-stabbing asshat you are.

I don’t give a shit who it is. You start saying negative things about my friends, and I’m not going to hang around and listen. I don’t care if you are someone I respect and admire. If you say bad things about someone that I love, you aren’t going to be either respected or admired anymore.

If you choose to keep it up and I find out about it, I am very likely to go a little ninja on your ass.
I’ll leave it to your imagination what that means.

Suffice it to say that it would be better for you if you just STFU.

Don’t make me get the throwing stars.
I’m a fucking ninja.  And I’ve been practicing.

The current challenge is brought to you by myself, and the ever delightful Chrissa over yonder at A Little Wicked. The Challenge questions are pilfered from Marc and Angel Hack Life, and their stellar list of 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind. We hope you enjoy the posts, and if you’d like to take part, the questions are yours to answer.

Once upon a time, I was a teenager.
And as such, I knew it all.

We all know everything there is to know about life when we’re sixteen. We know that no one knows more than we do, we know that life can’t possibly teach us anything, and we sure as hell know that our parents couldn’t possibly have any advice to impart on us that would be worthy of paying attention to.

Oh, come on.
I know that wasn’t just me.

At sixteen, at seventeen… I knew everything. I used to sit and listen to my Dad wax on about life, and about the things that I should be doing to make mine easier in the future. He talked about buying a house rather than renting, he talked about investing my money early, he talked about a lot of stuff that pretty much went in one ear and out the other.

He also talked about smaller things, like how much different and how much harder life was going to be once I was no longer under the protective wing of my parents care. How I’d have to grow up a lot, and how the things that I thought were so damn easy would turn out not to be.

In some cases, I acted on his advice. I started investing money early. But it wasn’t because I thought he was right, it was to shut him up. I figured that if I did what he thought I should do, then he’d leave me alone about it.

That seemed to work out pretty well.

And then…
I turned eighteen (okay, seventeen and a half) and I moved out on my own.

Something weird happened when I did that.

I started noticing that I was saying things like, “Wow. Dad was right.” Or even, “Why didn’t I pay more attention when Dad was telling me about this?”

I was so hosed.
Dammit, I came to a very harsh realization.

I didn’t know a fuckin’ thing when I was a teenager.

So, because I am the person that I am, and not afraid to admit that I’m wrong, I called up my Dad and told him that I was coming to take him out to dinner. Which I did. And we had a nice little dinner, and some great conversation. Then, over coffee, I told him what I’d come to tell him.

I took a very, very deep breath and I said…

“Dad, I took you out for dinner to tell you something. I want you to know that you were right. About everything. Everything you told me when I was a kid, everything you told me that I didn’t listen to… all of it. You were right. I was wrong. I was a stupid teenager who didn’t know a damn thing, and I should have paid more attention. Because damn, Dad. You’re one smart guy.”

The look on his face was priceless.
He managed not to laugh, very much to his credit.

He thanked me for telling him what I told him, we carried on about our conversation, and when the check came, Dad grabbed the bill and paid it before I had the chance to lay my hand on it. I started to tell him that I was supposed to pay, but he stopped me with a wave of his hand.

“Keep your money. You might need it when you have to tell your Mother I’m always right.”

My Dad was a pretty smart guy.
Even if it took me a while to realize it.

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.

**A huge thank you goes out to Sylak, who found the images for this post. You rock! \m/

I have seen some very beautiful things in my lifetime.

The most beautiful things that I have seen, as with everything else in my life, are tied to beautiful feelings. Feelings of happiness and joy and undiluted pleasure. Not all of the pictures of these moments may seem all that beautiful. I’ll try to explain why they are beautiful to me, in hopes that maybe you can understand why I would consider these to be the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.

In no particular order…

This picture was taken in a small town in southern Alberta. It’s not the picture that’s beautiful. I mean, the picture (and the bar) were cool and all, but it was the trip itself that was beautiful. Actually, it was the smiling face of my best friend upon seeing her that was beautiful. She was coming home, and I mean that in a far deeper way than her move back to Alberta. The bar? Hell, that was just something we happened to stumble over when we got lost.

There is a place in Victoria, BC called Butchart Gardens that is hands down one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen.  If you get the chance, get yourself there.  It’s gorgeous.  Especially in the summer when all the flowers are in bloom.  But deep inside this stunning locale is a Japanese Garden that houses one of the most peaceful and lovely spaces I have ever visited.  A red foot bridge takes you over a trickling brook and then you are enveloped in the smell of Jasmine and Sakura.  Sit for a while in the covered rest area and just breathe deep the beauty.  I dare you not to.

Okay, seriously? Like anyone here didn’t know that pictures from a Bon Jovi concert were going to be on here? This was from the most recent concert. Great seats. Great music. Great company. And the first time that Laurie and I heard Blood on Blood sung in concert. Not only that, they opened with it. With our song. That? Beautiful.

I have one more beautiful sight that I really want to see.  I want to see it while I’m holding hands with someone I love, and I don’t give a damn how long it takes for that to happen.  I want to lay eyes on this view not just in pictures, but in life.  I want to take a deep breath of the air, let my eyes drink in the vista and then I want to lean in close to the one that I am with and whisper in his ear, “Je t’adore”.  And it will happen.

Yep. Fuckin’ beautiful.

What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen?

The 50-50 Challenge is an idea that Chrissa from A Little Wicked and I came up with. It is based on a list of 50 Lists to Write to Lift Your Spirits, which can be found at Demanding Joy. We were inspired to make it a blog challenge. If you’d like to participate, please do. Be as inspired as we were.