Last Friday, I had a very bad day. Instead of jumping over the edge of despair that I was seeing, I decided to write about it and to reach out blindly. I wasn’t sure where or who I was reaching for … I was just reaching.
Thankfully, people heard me (well, read me). I can’t begin to describe how grateful I am for all of them.
One of the pieces of advice I received was to approach my recovery from Friday by taking one step at a time, one victory at a time (no matter how small), one day at a time. It’s pretty good advice. It really has helped a lot.
Since that day, I am happy to say that I have had better days. Saturday, thanks to people reaching out to me, I was able to get out of bed and to stop by ESPN GameDay (that was on WMU’s campus). I even had the strength to watch my beloved Broncos keep their undefeated streak going by beating Buffalo 38-0.
Saturday was a good day.
The following day (Sunday), I was able to put together questions for my weekly Team Trivia show at Bells. As I played music during the pre-game, the trivia franchise owner stopped by to finally meet me in person. We had talked via email and social media for the last three years, but had never met. He stopped by and gave me a bonus and to say thanks for being a part of his crew. That was a nice surprise.
Trivia, as always, was fun. But what was really nice was seeing friends from high school and from social media come to play. And they reminded me, when they checked in for the game, that I am not alone. That I’m never alone and all I need to do is drop them a line and they will be happy to listen to me or to provide a shoulder to lean on/cry on.
Sunday was a good day.
Monday a friend took me out to dinner. We laughed. We joked. She let me vent and cry a little (although I don’t think she realized I had a little cry between jokes). And while we were at it, the new Michigan House Minority Leader stopped by to say hello as well.
Monday was a good day.
Tuesday held a nice surprise from a few of my friends from the Jaycees. I came home to a care package full of snacks, movies, music, a book, a Superman magnet, a set of inspiration cards, and a heartfelt letter.
Tuesday was a good day.
Yesterday, I had breakfast with a good friend who used to share in the daily Capitol grind. We ate too much of the Flap Jack Shack. We laughed. She gave me wisdom. We smiled. It was the start of another good day. I got to see Wicked for the second time with Niki and C. Before that, I got to take them to Halo Burger for the first time. Granted, it’s just Halo Burger, but that was a pretty tasty burger because they were there.
Wicked was awesome, as usual. Big props to Jessica Vosk (who plays Elphaba) – she knocked it out of the park.
Yes, yesterday was a good day.
In Wicked, the next to last song in the musical is the song “For Good”. The farewell song between Glinda and Elphaba. It swings between being my favorite song and my second favorite song in the show (trading spots with “Defying Gravity” depending on how I’m feeling at the time).
There is a specific set of lyrics in the song that really hit me last night:
I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you …
I have been changed for good.
As I look back at the many people who sent a text, an email, a FB message, a post on my wall, a care package, a shoulder to lean on, an opportunity to cry, a hand to hold, a hug, a kiss on the cheek, a joke, a song, a football game, a beer … there are so many things, I know the words “Thank you” aren’t sufficient to express what I feel about you all.
So please let the words of “For Good” do it for me. You have come into my life for a reason. You have helped me grow. You have helped me bounce back.
I am who I am … I am here today … because I know you and because you’re in my life.
There’s too many thank. But you have helped me put the bricks away for that wall I was going to build last week.
So thank you … for being good!
Happy Thanksgiving my friends!
DaveWorthams.com 