A friend said something to me the other day - well, he actually texted it to me - that stopped me dead in my tracks and made me so incredibly grateful to have him in my life. And not just him, either, but all the people that I hold dear.
Things with me at work have been pretty hectic, you see, what with the election and all. I volunteered to do the front page for some stupid reason. It ended up being quite an ordeal, but the result was pretty damn good, if I do say so myself.
On election day, as I was headed to work, this friend, who knew how much I had been stressing out and who had seen the prototypes, texted me, saying, "You're gonna do GREAT, girl! Can't wait to see it!"
That was the start of what was a great night. But that wasn't the text that really got to me.
The next day, when I told him how we had sold out the run of the press and had printed 40,000 copies of an extra edition, he texted me, "Awesome!! I am SO PROUD of you!" And that's what blew me away.
I so rarely hear that from many people. My best friend S. says it to me a lot, and I love her dearly for it. But this was the first time recently that I can recall someone else saying it. I know it's sort of egotistical to think about stuff like that, but when someone that I hold dear and care a lot about and am quite proud of myself takes time to say that to me, well, it sticks with me. And makes me think about all the people I love and am proud of and about how I hope they know that.
But it also does something else... I mean, if someone else is proud of me, then surely, when I have done good work, it's OK for me to be proud of myself, right? I always feel guilty indulging feelings like that, but in this instance, I feel like it's all right.
And I owe that friend a debt of gratitude.
