When a friend needs someone to walk around the neighborhood after having a bad day to share their load, you put on your glass slippers and your ball gown and you go…right?
The emotion is pure.
A friend is sad. They need a shoulder. They need a sounding board. They need to work off negative energy.
You wait by the window to see the car as soon as it pulls in your driveway.
You hide from your mom, who is working in her home office with a big window that shows a perfect view of your street.
You ping your friend’s cell phone every two minutes to make sure they are on their way.
The car pulls into your driveway and you quick scoot down the back staircase to evade mom interference.
Before your friend can even exit their vehicle stage left you are down the driveway and onto the street waving “come on!”
Channeling Cinderella, you twirl and sparkle while you walk knowing the special connection you share, not only with what your attire represents, but the person in need.
You are outside in the sun, strolling with your buddy, sharing a life moment. There is no thinking about what you want. There is no dialogue in your head about things you need to do later. There is no wondering what others might think when they see you walk by.
There is just this moment.
Your enthusiasm, attire, and bossiness put a wobbly smile on a sad face. For a moment or two, maybe three, the weight of what was being carried is lifted off shoulders.
What you don’t know is that sitting in her office, another smile appears on another face. A face attached to the mom that for one moment contemplated telling you to come back inside to remove your costume.
That was before she realized that others may need the smile the image of joy and friendship walking by their house would bring.
And so she let it go and kept on working, and smiling.
This blog was written by
Deborah Cavanagh