Living By Yourself: Lesson Three

Lesson Three: Friends are the key to sanity

I hate when I think of a clever title based on what I want to write about then start typing and it just doesn’t go anymore. I want to share how I have a friends I can text/call/hang with, somewhat standardly, now and I also want to share my self-proclaimed clever title. The title was “Search and Rescue”. I thought to myself, in actual sentences (do most people do that!?), this little play on words is fitting in that I am the search-er for friends and my new friends are (overdramatically) rescuing me from my biggest fear, loneliness.

This title became a little too heartfelt and borderline serious when I’m actually feeling really excited!

[ok, it’s settled. Someone is definitely grilling hotdogs somewhere closeby. But why would they do that just a couple days before 4th of July weekend!? Two hot dog dinners in one week? Hmm maybe not so bad]

I remembered journalism class recommended using recognizable quotes to attract attention so I'm thinking of a “friends” quote. I had to Google a quote about friends because the only one I know is from Sex in the City, the one about friends being your soul mates, and after having it painted on a canvas from a fellow FAB for FAB_Christmas 2005, I didn’t want to taint it with my sometimes-and-more-often-than-not cheesiness.

This is the quote I found:

A good friend is a connection to life - a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world. ~Lois Wyse

Ah this is perfect in so many ways! Including the fact that it mentions the word “Key” which is technically a Miami-themed word! chuh ching!!

Now that that's over, here is my actual blog post:

I am feeling pretty good right now. I’m on the balcony enjoying the breeze and taking my one-a-day. Not the women’s multi-vitamin but my daily glance at the bay to remind myself that I live in Miami. Looking at the clouds, it may rain in a few minutes but Im embracing the cool air while I can. And if I’m going to complete the scene for you, I’m laying on a towel (b/c I cant afford outdoor furniture and haven’t scrubbed the tile since the tornado of 40-yr old dirt and grime that was set free during Stage One of the reupholster process to my new chaise. Stage One is removing the gross and hideously plaid fabric that almost fooled me before I ignorantly decided it was a gem after a little touch of my very amateur skills yet excitedly hopeful fantasy of the DIY possibilities.) - wow long sentence but Word doesn’t underlined it in green! Im keeping it.) enjoying too much sushi and too much vino (that's "wine" in Spanish ;))

I’m feeling good tonight because things are looking up for me! Yes the job is fine but who cares about that? Today I realized I have friends!!! I texted the couple that lives in my building about how I heard of a restaurant close to us called Cvi che 105 and we need to add that to our list of things to do. Who says that to someone who not your friend?!

These people aren’t familiar with my sickeningly badly titled blog so I can talk about them freely. I met Jeremy and some of his friends because he was helping a friend move out of the building the same day I was moving in. After passing them several times during the day, we started saying those funny little things that you say to someone who you share an elevator with once a week or see at the gym all the time but have never actually had a full conversation with. Things like, “hey… yall still workin hard? ... Yeah same, wish this thing would chaise me instead. Haaaaaa! ok, see ya!”

Ugh – just embarrassing, really

But toward the end of the day I saw they had plenty of manual labor ahead with one small pick up truck. I offered a trade- if they would help us with the heavy things like my mattress, dresser, etc, they can borrow our moving truck… oh, AND we have to be BFFs!!!

Turns out one of the movers, Jeremy, lives in the building! He may be the nicest person I’ve ever met under 65. He and his girlfriend, Alyssa, who was equally as welcoming and friendly, invited me to $10 Pasta Night with them and a couple of their friends. YAY, PLANS!

I joked with Kel that making friends is like dating. I wanted them to like me!!! What do I wear? What do I say? Kel asked if they wanted a 3-some, ha! (Btw, it’s even more funny when it’s Kel making the jokes bc it’s either unintentional or unexpected.)

Dinner was SO FUN!!! The group seems like people I would normally hang out with. Casual, energetic, funny, and love wine! I was ecstatic to find them in this foreign country. The only difference is that I think they make a ton of money based on their job titles. Reminder!!!! I work in non-profit and can’t afford plastic outdoor furniture and have to reupholster my own chair.

I met J&A again this weekend for a day at Virginia Beach. I don’t mind being the third wheel. Thank God for friends, right?! It's the "key" to sanity! And how can you not enjoy yourself at the beach – Virginia “Key” Beach, to be exact! We gabbed about the content of our magazines, the best places to visit in Miami, what to do for dinner, and who knows what else. Feels like home! (Awe, I miss home, though) Maybe I won’t turn out to be the insecure lazy, messy, hoarder I’ve been dreading after all.
BUT I’m here in Miami, I feel connected to life and people, and the future is looking bright = another Miami-themed play-on-words! The sun is literally brighter here. Really, I had to buy darker sunglasses.

I'm going to end today's post here because as I'm nearing the end of my wine, Ce Lo Green’s, “Forget You” (so damn catchy!!) is making my arms and shoulders shake too much to keep typing. Chao, amigos!

For your continued enjoyment, here are some other quotes I liked while surfing Google for “friends” quotes:
If I had to sum up Friendship in one word, it would be Comfort. ~Terri Guillemets

A friend is the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out. ~Grace Pulpit

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. Lewis

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend. ~Plautus

Strangers are just friends waiting to happen. ~Rod McKuen, Looking for a Friend – almost used this one since it’s so appropriate to my situation.

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship. ~William Blake – um, someone help me figure this one out

6/30/11