A Clown, Balloons, and Midget Monopoly

Before we begin, you must listen to this song to get the full effect of my chemo day.  Now.  Now you are ready for this.  And leave it playing as you read.  Just do it.  Don't be weird.

 

 

I'm pretty sure I KNOW I have the best friends on the entire planet.  There are some people who have to take a taxi to and from chemo.  They can't find ANYONE, not even one person who cares enough to even give them a ride.  I have seen it personally.  I can't imagine how much more difficult dealing with all of this would be mentally if I was in that situation.  Thank God I am not.  Not even close.  I honestly have friends waiting to take me.  Some old friends, and some new.

 

  The post at the top of this blog is 100% true.  It's easy.  So easy to tell someone you care, to tell someone you like them, to hang out with someone and consider them your friend.  So easy.  But when that word "friend" is put to the test, that's where the truth will reveal itself.   The saying "Actions speak louder than words" should be hanging on my wall somewhere.  I say it alot and I believe in it 100%  Words are just that,words.  Don't really mean anything until you do what you say or when your behavior matches your words.  If you tell me that you care about me, or you tell me that you want to help me and will do anything I ask or need you to do, then when the time comes to follow up on your word and you come up with excuses you can't, that behavior tells me all I need to know. 

 

 A true friend won't be too busy to help you out when times get bad.  A true friend won't suddenly shut you out when things get weird.  A true friend won't make excuses as to why they can't take you to chemo or why they can't do whatever it is you need.  A true friend is someone you haven't talked to in years but is messaging you and telling you that if you need anything at all, even someone to take you to chemo they will do it.  A true friend is someone who strait out asks you if they can go with you or if you just want them to come over and hang out for awhile.  They will set dates weeks in advance for you to go out with them because they know that's when your good day will be and they want you to have fun and smile. They don't have excuses.  Ever.  They always find a way.  A true friend starts a t-shirt fundraiser for you that you know nothing about.  Or a virtual 5k you know nothing about.  Or they send you texts daily asking how you are, can they do anything, telling you they are thinking of you and can't wait for you to get better.  They send you FB messages on random days saying Hey, I miss you and think and pray for you every single day and can't wait until we can get together again.  They send you pictures daily of their new twin babies because they know those pictures will melt your heart and make you smile on even your worst day. They call you at 7:30 on a Friday night just to check on you even when they aren't feeling well either (yeah, that just happened). 

 

 They are men, women, cousins, brothers, sister-in-laws, parents, aunts.  Some of my very best and closest friends are guys.  And surprisingly, even guys care about others.  Hahaha.  They actually get it.  They understand life is hard and they have my back, like a brother.  I had an hour long conversation with one a week or so ago.  Just being able to talk helped so much.  He didn't have to talk to me that long.  He is super busy and I am certain he had tons of other things to do, but he took the time.  And that means a lot to me. 

 

Insert link to a song for all my true friends here. And I really do love all of you.  That's the truth.  click here. (I know.  Fox and the Hound.  Just trying to keep this post kid friendly ;)

 

This song works too and he gives an AMAZING concert.

 

  A true friend can be someone you have known forever, may have just met, or someone you have known just for a few years, like my friend Courtney the Clown (hahaha) who went with me today.  We haven't been friends very long, but you can't tell it.  The lady next to us today wanted to know if we were sisters.  She said it appeared that way.  We just laughed and said no, just friends.  That made me feel so good.  The fact that we were having so much fun together (at the most depressing place on earth, mind you) tells me something about or relationship.  It works.  And it's fun.  And we will be friends forever.  She is the real deal.  And, I am not one to trust people easily.  I'm kind of shy at first because I'm never sure who is real and who is fake and I don't want fake people knowing everything about me.  That's just not how I roll.  But, if I trust you, shy girl goes home and outgoing, lets go party and have fun Michelle come out.  And THAT Michelle will tell you anything you want to know.  And she will do anything for you.  ANYTHING.  I will find a way to help you or make your problem a little easier to handle.  Did Courtney have to take the whole freaking day off work for me?  NO.  Did she do it anyway?  YES!   This is what I'm talking about:

 

   

Absolutely no hesitation here

 

And, of course, she went and got me this #cracksandwich

If you haven't figured it out by now, this is a requirement.

And this seems like the perfect place to introduce you all to this awesomeness.

 

Two weeks ago my BFF Mandy gave me a spa day.  That was tremendous.  Today, I was challenged to midget Monopoly.  A party with clowns and balloons would not be complete with something midget related now would it??

 

She said she won and I was sad.  I hate losing. 

But hang on a minute.  I don't really believe I lost now that I have come down off the Ativan and really thought about it.  She didn't count the money.  All she did was say "I totally beat you."  Then started putting it away.  Just wait Courtney the Clown.  Just wait.  When I get over all this chemo nonsense, I challenge you to a game of one on one basketball.  I will take you to school.  BAM!!!

 

She said to pose with my pole.  Hahahaha.  Well, OK.  Let's do it!!

 

 

So, I guess this post is mixed.  A little about clowns, balloons, and midgets and a lot about friends.  This is a topic I could go on about forever I think.  It has been said that you are the average of the 5 people you hang out with the most.  I believe this to be true.  And I choose carefully as I stated before.  I don't want to associate with people who appear sincere, but in reality they aren't.  Those people just tell you what you want to hear.  Their actions don't match their words.  That is a HUGE red flag to me.  And it ticks me off when people do that.  Don't lie to me.  And really, why would you say things you don't mean anyway??  Makes zero sense to me.  Zero.  I only say what I mean.  So I want to hang out with people who do the same thing.  I don't have time for games.  I also don't want to associate with people who don't really want to associate with me.  What good is that.  What I want is someone who doesn't lie to me, holds true to their word, finds me important enough in their life to make time for me even when its not convenient, will be by my side even when the chemo is gone, will laugh with me, cry with me, and will let me tell them anything I want and not judge me and not tell anyone else.  And I am so happy to say that I have found those people.  LOTS of those people in fact.  I have more of those people in my life than I even knew about before cancer.  I honestly had no idea so many people truly cared for me until now.  So, I guess this is just one more reason God allowed me to have cancer.  So I would open my eyes and realize these things.  Realize that he has blessed me beyond measure.  Realize who my true friends are and who are not.  But, as luck would have it, I have MANY true friends.  And for those that I have realized are not.  That's ok.  It's actually good to know so  I don't make those people one of my five!! Silver linings people.  Silver linings in everything. 

 

 

 

And, well, I've always got The Man Upstairs on my side.  Always.  He isn't just in my 5.  He is #1.  Can't go wrong with that.