Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the fourteenth day of the month is "Control."
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My friend's daughter's high school open house was last Saturday. Since she was in middle school, she's always said she wanted her open house to be at her grandparents' farmhouse, so when I got to town on Friday, I went over there to help get things ready. This is the house where my friend grew up, so I've spent a lot of time there and I didn't even need the GPS to tell me how to get there!
When I pulled into the driveway, a lot of men were working on trimming bushes and the like. There were power tools being used. My friend greeted me and asked if I would go inside where his wife and mother were working on prepping food for the next day. "My wife is not in a good mood and I think you'll cheer her up."
You guys! That was my job! I was the Cheer Up Squad! ME!
And I was. I walked in there, started chopping melons and cutting cheese slices and joking around and soon there was laughter in the kitchen and whatever bad mood was originally there was long gone.
It felt so good to be this person again. I am happy. I was happy to be there. I was surrounded by people I love. I was doing something useful. I was in total control of my feelings and could concentrate on everybody around me.
Here's to more days like that one.
I love the joy in this picture - you are a ray of sunshine and how wonderful you were able to spread that to others! It's SUCH a gift (and you do it via the blog to all of us readers), but I know it's more impactful when you're in person and can sense the change in vibe and get into a flow state of fun and happiness.
ReplyDeleteYay!!!
It really was so much fun to the be the fun person! I don't think I've ever been given the cheerleader job before, but I think I want it more often.
DeleteYou seem to have a gift.
ReplyDeleteA latent gift I never knew I had!
DeleteJust looking at this picture made me smile! What a gift of a day, NGS! Love to see you shining your light <3.
ReplyDeleteI was so happy that entire day. It was perfect and I'm glad I was able to show it to my friends on the outside, too.
DeleteJust think--you were around all sorts of people and were happy about it! Good for you!
ReplyDeleteWell...the event was outdoors, so I didn't have to go inside much. LOL. Made all the difference!
DeleteOh my gosh all the hearts for this post. What a wonderful feeling. What a wonderful role. So happy that your efforts to do more and be with people more are paying off so fabulously, for you and for the people to whom you bring joy!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad that I made those back to back trips. It really makes me feel like I'm part of a community again.
DeleteYour post made me smile :) Great picture and all the feelings. yay for days like this!
ReplyDeleteYes! I should definitely try to plan more days like this purposefully.
DeleteAwww, I love this! Way to go!!
ReplyDeleteHa! Who would have ever guessed I'd be the Cheer Up person, right? It was so much fun.
DeleteYay! Sometimes all it takes is a little something out of the ordinary but totally normal to cheer you up.
ReplyDeleteYes. Out of the ordinary but totally normal is such a great way to put it!
DeleteI love this. I also love that farmhouse.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great farmhouse. I think they're going to have to move soon, so it was a nostalgic kind of thing for us because I'm not sure our friend group will ever have another gathering there. The end of an era.
DeleteYes, I love this farmhouse too, and I love this post! But I'm not sure why being the cheer up person is new to you- you always kind of seem like the cheer up person to me. I'm thinking of the Christmas card and the surprise postcard you sent me. I think you've always had it in you.
ReplyDeleteHuh. I guess you're right. I am such an anxious person with so many internal spirals that I don't think of myself as the cheer up person, but now that I'm going through the roles I play in my different friend and family groups, you're absolutely right. I bring a certain energy of enthusiasm and joy. It's mostly because I'm so excited to be with the people, of course, but that doesn't diminish the importance of my role. This comment really made me do some self-evaluation and I appreciate that so much, Jenny!
DeleteHow wonderful! This was just lovely to read.
ReplyDeleteI think this day might be the day I look back on when things get rough. It was perfect and I'm glad to have written it down.
DeleteYou look happy! And what a beautiful house! I am usually the rule enforcer, the planner, the stick in the mud, so I get what you are saying about being the fun one for once. Sometimes you get tired of always being the "responsible one" and you just want to let loose! Go get 'em!
ReplyDeleteYes! So much of it was that I wasn't in charge. I was just following directions and doing what someone told me to do and I could have a good time while doing it. It does make me think that maybe I should go to more social events where I'm not in charge.
DeleteThat's amazing! But I'm extremely confused about how a school's open house is at a farmhouse - here it would just be at the school. Being at a farmhouse would be way cooler.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think we're just using different terminology. We call a graduation party (for high school mostly, although I've seen it for college graduations, too) an open house because people don't have to come and stay for the entire length of the party, but they can just come and go as they please. So it wasn't the school's open house - it was the graduation party for a single graduate!
DeleteOh! That makes so much more sense, especially since it's the end of the year, not the beginning.
DeleteLove this post and what a cute picture!
ReplyDeleteWhen my husband saw the photo, he just rolled his eyes. He knew what he was getting when he married me, though!
DeleteAwww I love this! It is nice to be the pick-me-up person - the person who can come in and pitch in and inject some levity. I wish such a person existed for my mom when she is entertaining large groups of people! ;) She loves to host but then gets incredibly stressed out.
ReplyDeleteYes! It was such a delightful role for me. I haven't really considered it before, but I really just want to make people have a good time. Hosting IS stressful and it's good to have someone around who can put the gathering into perspective (i.e., no one will remember if there are enough hamburger buns, but they will remember how fun it was).
DeleteFirst, I am so happy that you are getting out in the world and enjoying being around your people again! What a delight! And I'm glad you got to be the cheer up person. <3
ReplyDeleteSecond, I am glad you explained what an open house was. I'm guessing it's a regional thing because around here, an open house happens at the beginning of the school year where you visit the school, meet your teachers, learn your schedule, etc. (I guess like orientation?) So I was very confused at first - how do you have an open house at someone's HOUSE?! LOL. Makes a lot more sense comparing it to a graduation party!
Interesting. Maybe it is regional. Certainly it's an open house in Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana. Midwestern? We use open house in the way you describe, as well, to describe going to the school to meet teachers and get your schedule. Generally the invitation would say "Come celebrate the graduate at their open house from 2-4pm" or whatever, so you know the context of the open house. You can also have open house potluck dinners, etc. It's such a useful term - I'm surprised it's not ubiquitous!
DeleteThat is such a HAPPY photo! I love that you are getting out and spreading The Joy where it needs to be. Keep it up!
ReplyDeleteHm. I'll try to keep it up, but there aren't as many opportunities to spread The Joy in my life as you might think!
Delete<3 I love this. You seem like a cheery person!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to do my best to maintain this cheer!
DeleteWhat an amazing feeling! You sharing this is cheering ME up! I hope you have many more days like this!
ReplyDeleteI should work on writing more posts that cheer people up!
DeleteThat feeling that you BELONG. Wow. So rare, these days. And yet, so important. I'm so glad you were with Your People, and that you were able to be the joy-bringer. :)
ReplyDeleteI know my friends are busy, but I can't help but thinking that if I lived closer to them, we could hang out all the time and I would do something more than walk my dog endlessly. Oh, well. It's joyous when we do get together, so I'm going to keep that in mind when my lack of local friends gets me down.
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