The Important Things

Like a lot of other people, I'm not perfect.  Here is a non-exhaustive list of the reasons why this is true:  I don't like team sports because I'm always the weakest link.  I'm terrible at any and all forms of art; any attempt at craft projects make me frustrated and cranky.  I am not good at deferred gratification; when I want something, I want it now.  My sense of direction is startlingly bad.  I spend too much time checking my texts, e-mails, and Facebook notifications on my phone.  I don't get enough sleep on the weekends.  I spend too much of my gym time doing cardio and not enough on strength training, which explains my increasingly disturbing amount of flab (an extra layer for the winter? Sure, we'll go with that).  Although I'm an okay dresser, I can never pull off looking "fancy", and my ability to accessorize leaves a lot to be desired. I'm nosy.  Sometimes my mouth works faster than my brain, an unfortunate fact which some people refer to as having no filter.  My hair gets all over EVERYTHING.  I can't remember the last time I made my bed.  My idea of cooking a real meal is throwing pre-packaged tortellini into a pot of boiling water.  I have zero self-control. Unlike a startlingly high proportion of my friends, I don't and never will have a PhD, MD, JD, or anything else with a D.

But...

You can count on me to be the among the first to RSVP to your event... and I'll show up with my best "party face" on.  I'll call you back if I don't answer the first time.  I'll remind you why he was never good enough for you - because obviously he wasn't.  Even if it's been a year since I've seen you, I know we will pick up right where we left off.  I'll try to strike a balance between making you laugh and letting you cry.  When I like your outfit, I'll let you know.  I'll remember your birthday.  Actually, I'll probably plan your party.

I'm not good at most things.  I hope, though, that I'm pretty decent at the important things.

My A-List

On Friday night, I was standing with three friends in one of the swankiest bars in Minneapolis.  We'd never been there before, but we'd heard good things and wanted to give it a try.  We were enjoying immaculately-made expensive drinks and having ridiculously great conversations.  It was a perfect night.

And then the A-Listers walked in. You know who I'm talking about. They're gorgeous, tall, extremely well-dressed... they have money, they have power, they have influence.  They don't WALK into a bar; they saunter in.  Heads turn.  Surely they are coming from an "event" of some sort, and likely are just passing through this bar for a drink, on their way to the next big thing.  They're people that my friends and I don't actually KNOW, but do know OF.

Which makes me think: I wonder if ANYONE really knows them.  We're judging them by their exterior.  We're assuming that because they LOOK and ACT completely put-together, they actually are.  If we really sat down and talked to them, we'd probably find that they have insecurities and struggles and who knows what else.  Maybe we'd have more in common than we think.  But maybe not.  And maybe it doesn't matter, because....

I have my own A-List: The people in my life who enhance every experience; who are the first ones on the invite list when I'm hosting a party. They're the people I can relate to, who understand the things I struggle with.  The people with whom I share inside jokes and who know that my favorite drink is Malibu diet.  People who can read between the lines when I'm having a hard time articulating my thoughts.  The people who bring out the best in me, and vice versa.  People who share similar interests and values, and who love to have fun.  People who I can text at a moment's notice and meet for a walk around the lake or a cup of coffee.   People who make me know that I am never alone.

My own A-Listers are a lot like me.  They're not fancy or powerful.  They have influence, but not in the same way as the "actual" A-Listers.  I don't even know if they "have money" or not, and I don't care.  They're as comfortable showing up in shorts and a t-shirt as they are in a bow-tie or a fancy dress.

I don't need or even want to be well-known, popular, or influential.  But I do need my people, my A-List.  And I'm thankful for the ever-expanding number of people on this list.  SO thankful.

And as for the TRUE A-Listers...  I hope they have their own people, too.  Because even if you are "really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking", you still need true friends.