Sometimes, whatever else is going on in your mind, it’s good to sit down with a friend and talk things over. Even if you’re not a big “talker” for the most part, there’s bound to be at least someone out there that you can open up to. Some lucky people can open up to pretty much anyone. Though that often leads to the whole “too much information” problem I alluded to some time back, when a former music performance partner decided to announce at the dinner table to my then-housemate whom she had never met before that day that she was suffering from considerable vaginal dryness and was there anything she could do about it as it was a little concerning?
No. Talking with someone you respect and trust is always good. So that’s what a friend (who shall remain nameless to spare her blushes) and I did today. We spent most of the day (well, afternoon) sitting and chatting over various beverages and sandwiches, starting with an enormous caramel latte (which my companion added at least three sugars to just for that “extra kick”, making a smiley face from the sugar and then stabbing it in the eyes because it “didn’t deserve to be happy”) and eventually moving on, having harassed our AV salesman mutual buddy at his place of work, to a large pitcher of delicious, summery, fruity cocktail atop the roof of Vodka Revolution.
We also saw a flying spider. This little dude, whom we christened Harold, had been attempting to crawl up the side of our pitcher in an attempt to get at the cocktaily goodness within, but was failing miserably. By about the fourth or fifth time he’d slipped down the side of the pitcher, he was obviously ready to give up. So imagine our surprise when he floated off the side of the pitcher and then whistled past my head at high speed.
We both blinked and looked at each other.
“That just happened, didn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“That spider just flew.”
“Yeah.”
“What the fuck?”
“I have no idea.”
There’s probably a perfectly rational explanation for it. Harold was only a tiny money spider after all, so it’s entirely possible he was just blown away by a passing breeze. Or perhaps there was a thread leading far away that we couldn’t see. But it’s a much nicer story to think that Harold was the one spider in the world who had learned to fly. I don’t normally like spiders, but I have plenty of time for a tiny little one that has learned to fly.
Anyway.
The day was technically completely non-productive, but after a few days of feeling something of a decline in my mood, it was exactly what I needed. I wouldn’t dream of speaking for my companion, but I certainly hope it helped her too. By the time both of us went our separate ways at the end of the afternoon, both of us had pleasant smiles on our faces; something which neither of us were sporting when we met up with each other around lunchtime.
So if you’re feeling low, take a day out. Call up a friend, perhaps one you haven’t seen for a while. Meet up. Drink coffee, beer, cocktails, whatever. Sit in the sun. Chew the fat. Set the world to rights. And you’ll find that things will feel much better. For a while, at least. And sometimes, that little perk-up is all you need to keep going a little while longer.
So a hearty thanks to my companion for a lovely day.
