I heard this song Monday night, as I watched America’s Got Talent: Champions. There were other great performers, and Mike ended up not going on to the next round. However, his song that he sang was incredible and then I found his official version on Youtube. It strongly reminds me of Rob Thomas’ song Someday. That optimistic, uplifting, and soulful song that you can listen to no matter how you’re feeling; knowing it will pick your spirit up. What a good time for that, I think.
After the show, I went to my bedroom and looked at my phone. My best friend told me that one of our old friend’s dad passed away. We haven’t spoken to him in, I want to say, 7 years. We drifted apart, and personalities clashed. Young, and at different stages in our lives, we simply cut ties. It can be common leaving high school, as it’s hard to stay close to people from back then. Yet, ironically, my best friends are from high school. In university, I always worked in my spare time and the people I hung out with I didn’t feel close to. So yes, I didn’t make friends in college.
Many of you perhaps relate, especially if you didn’t live in a dorm on campus. Though I didn’t hang out much with people there, I still used those 4 years to learn more about myself and others. By others, I mean the type of people I’m drawn to; both as friends and romantic interests. I can be around almost anyone, however it’s different when it comes to who I let in and be a friend. When I got to grad school, I knew so many of my cohort and had many friends. But, like past experience, time can strain relationships you thought were strong. My birthday was lonely, I’ve admitted that already, but while I waited at home for word on my father’s surgery it was surprising to see who did and didn’t message me to say “Happy Birthday”.
That included the once dear old friend (remember that from 2017?), and another friend I often referred to as “hermana”. I know life can get in the way, and I don’t hold it against them. As I’ve said before, some people come for a short time, while others stay for the long haul. Yet, sometimes, the long haul can have gaps in-between. Has there ever been a friend or someone in your life whom you haven’t talked to in weeks/months/years? And yet, when you see them and chat it’s like no time had passed from before. You might even ask why y’all ever stopped hanging out in the first place. Eventually, you probably will remember why but discover that just like we change and grow apart. . . we can also change and grow closer as well.
Looping back to that old friend, my best friend was actually a patient of his dad’s. He was a dentist, and my friend’s family usually saw him. The father passed from lung cancer from what I hear. It hit me when I heard that. I’m here talking about hope and a better year than last, when an old friend’s 2020 already feels miserable. His dad had cancer, and my dad could’ve had it. Whether my friend and his family go to the funeral remains to be seen, but if he does I will try to go as well. I talked about reconnecting with people from the past, and this is one of those moments that could be impactful.
It’s 6 days, going on 7, into the new year and some of you also might not be having a great start to 2020. Hang in there. If I was there, I’d offer a hug or an arm around your shoulder. Many of us could use that right now, and so today/tomorrow/sometime soon I challenge you to go out and do that. Go out and do an act of kindness, whether a family member or a friend or maybe even someone you hardly know. It can be a physical sign of support, but even saying something as simple as “I got you” can be just as powerful. The point being that we need to let our guard down a little and focus on others as well; including the ones from the past we may have not spoken to in a while.
2020 will have it’s ups and it’s down, and this decade will do the same. But having that support, even from people we least expect, can have such a tremendous impact on our belief that we can push through and succeed. While we live in reality, we can’t forget to dream and aspire to reach a place we’ve never been before. I hope this post helps those who read this. Y’all may have noticed slight changes to my blog, including a change tonight to my little website logo. I’ve also opened up the comments, so you should no longer need an account on here to post a comment. My hope is to encourage conversations without restricting you to needing to sign in every time to do so. It may have taken several years, but I’m slowly learning more about this blog’s capabilities, myself, and the potential I see to reach out and inspire others; podcast and other writing projects included. However the point of this post, and I suppose my life motto, is to never give up. You’re not alone in this, continue dreaming for it can come true, and of course. . . believe.
Novatourist 