Tinkerbellarella
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2008
- Messages
- 3,520
"We'll be Friends Forever, won't we, Pooh?" asked Piglet.
"Even longer," Pooh answered.
Lets jump in our WayBack machines and go back, waaay back to simpler days. When time was measured by the number of days until Summer. When having $5 meant you were a bazillionaire. When walking down the Barbie aisle in Toys R Us was akin to being admitted through the pearly gates.
You didnt have a checkbook, you had a piggy bank. You didnt have a cell phone, you had two cups connected by a string. You didnt spend hours of your day sitting in a metal box fighting traffic and swearing at that jerk that just cut you off, you spent hours on a tree swing, humming the Smurfs theme song, and kicking your feet towards the blue sky.
Lets go back to when friendship was the very gravity that held you to this little planet we call Earth (or EeeYarth, if youre a Lilo & Stitch fan).
We lived and breathed for the time we spent with our friends, begging for just five more minutes after the streetlights went off or for just one more sleep over before the school year started. We loved each other, fought with each other, learned from each other, and forgave each other, all in the space of 5 minutes over a Twinkie. We simply had to have matching TrapperKeepers. Our world came CRASHING down if our friend was chosen for the opposing dodgeball team. Our commitment to each other was symbolized by a dirty, faded, stringy bracelet worn until it literally fell off.
I take us back to those days because, without knowing it then, we had it right. Our tenets in life were so simple Live. Laugh. Love. Sure we might have been dreaming of being adults but we just thought that meant being taller with a later bedtime. Life was about fun and happiness, bike rides and desserts.
For some of us life is still about desserts, but I digress.
Somehow though, without even realizing it, we let go of those tenets as we get older. Some of us were forced by Life to mature much more quickly than is fair, cutting short those carefree days. Others dismissed those old habits as babyish in the rather ruthless quest to be grown up. And some moved smoothly through childhood, into teenage years, and finally into adulthood, never really comprehending everything theyd let slip from their grasp.
Its not until something, usually a painful something, jars us into thinking about those days that we really comprehend what we've lost. We say to ourselves, WHY was I in such a hurry to grow up? Ah yes, hindsight is indeed 20/20.
Ive had so many of those painful moments in the past year or two, and I fear I have more close on the horizon. Moments that have and will continue to put in sharp relief whats really important in life loving each other. Our family. Our friends. Our husbands and wives and significant others.
Ben & Jerry.
I have one particular friend who I love very much. We met in high school and the rest, as they say, is history.
I was quiet and shy. She was anything but.
I lived by the rules. She was an expert at how to bend them but not break them.
I stood in the back of the alto section in Chorus, praying to just blend in. She played piano and would break out into song whenever she could with whomever she could find, creating beautiful harmonies.
I didnt get my license until I was 18. She had hers the minute she was eligible and totaled her first car the next day.
I was afraid of letting anyone know who I was. She knew who she was and would be happy to make sure you were in the know too.
We did some crazy stuff together. Stuff that, now that Im older and wiser', makes me shake my head. Stuff that reaffirms my decision not to have children (you know that saying about payback times three??
). Stuff that makes me SO grateful were still alive. She, quite literally, saved my life once. And now, in a less literal way, but one that I hope is just as important, Id like to help save hers. My sweet friend has had a rough go of it. I know a lot of people have, especially over the past year or two. She, however, has been battling with Life for a long time, but its been particularly combative these last 5 years. It beats her down and, just when shes starting to get back up again, WHOOSH! - Sorry, maam, todays not your day either. Shes been forced to give up on some dreams, has struggled through destructive relationships, was unceremoniously and unfairly fired from a secure job, currently battles through horrific working conditions for a wage that doesnt even pay the bills, has suffered the unexpected death of a very young, mutual friend, and now, she is watching as her father slowly passes from this world to the next.
My heart breaks for her.
Im a softie. For all the people I love. Sometimes I wonder if my heart is too big. Need a shirt? Heres the one off my back, and heres whats in my closet, and oh! Let me buy you one more with my last $10. Id like to think thats a good thing. I LOVE to give because frankly, it feels good! There isnt much that feels better than knowing youve made a difference or giving the *perfect* gift. And, as Ive watched my friend struggle, I am literally taken aback by how all of her recent trials have begun to destroy her. She doesnt see how beautiful or strong or incredible she is. Im upset by the takers in her life. Im saddened to see her used up and tossed aside by the people that love her. Im amazed at how so many of the people in her life expect her to do for them, and they do for themselves, but never do for her. Im no ones judge and jury and I dont pretend to be. I havent walked in their shoes and yet I can't help but feel disappointed.
Ive been there for her, every step forward and mile and a half back, and yet as of late Ive really wanted to do something more than just give her emotional support. Ive wanted to give her something tangible. Ive wanted to give my friend peace. Ive wanted to give her fun! Ive wanted to give her the freedom to see who she still is. Ive wanted her to breathe the air without the next breath bringing more worry, panic, or anxiety. Ive wanted to take her back to the days of Rainbow Brite, the familiar ice cream truck jingle, and staying up late to watch The Wizard of Oz. Even if only for a little while.
I thought long and hard about it. And one thing kept coming back to me Disney. When I pass under that pretty purple Welcome arch, its like my own personal WayBack machine. ZOOM! Im 7 years old again. My friend and I shared a Disney trip in 2008 and every moment of that trip shines in our memory like a Christmas morning. We still randomly message each other saying, Remember when Wed had fun. Real, simple fun. We didnt worry. We relaxed. We were kids again.
We ate a whole lot of dessert. (I blame Free Dining. Totally.)
And so the decision was made.
I would take her to Disney. On my dime. No strings attached. And it would be a complete and total surprise. A week spent as kids, in every sense of the word. I'm talking playing and harmless mischief. Ice cream for breakfast and sleeping late. A week of walking around with such big perma-grins on our faces that our cheeks hurt by the end.
Cut back to reality. Were all adults again, with real problems and real worries. The rent is due. Youre three days behind deadline. CNN has nothing good to report. Its going to rain tomorrow. The kids are sick, the dog peed on the carpet and you lost the car keys again. (Check the fridge. Ive found keys, the remote and my cell phone in there do you know how bizarre it is to have your fridge ring?)
But do me a favor take a moment to remember - that kid is still in there, peeking around the corner, wanting to come out and play. Mine is literally vibrating with excitement. A week in the World with one of my bestest friends! The fun well have! The sights well see! The desserts well eat!
And the best part? Who cares about bedtime.
:
Ha! Just kidding. 
)I've already almost slipped up myself, so I know how easy it is! Feel free to talk it up here on the DIS (she's not a DISer) or to PM me here or on FB, but please keep it to that. The element of mystery has really amped up the excitement for her and I love knowing that the not-knowing puts a smile on her face, especially on the really tough days.
Welcome!
)
