Happiness, Holidays, Hiccups, and Hugs

Originally Written in 2008

I once kept track of how many happy days I could enjoy consecutively without a bad day interrupting my bliss. Funny that my determination to extend the streak motivated me to dismiss setbacks that would otherwise have devastated me. Oh my new car is totaled and my insurance is cancelled? Oh well... I'm not going to let a little thing like that ruin my day!

More practically the secret to happiness comes from recognizing what happiness is and learning how to enjoy it more fully. Recently I allowed myself to get lazy with this. I had a wonderful Halloween and then a day later I experienced a beautiful but sad emotional baptism which inspired me to write my last blog "Dyscombobulated Blues."

In an effort to redo the past, I'm writing a blog I should have written when I was still cheerful prior to the onset of melancholia Sunday morning:

It's No Coincidence

But I happened to be living in New England when she was born in Massachusetts. And we both moved south as children. Then in 2000 we both moved to Washington. So far we were unaware of each other.

In 2007 I discovered her profile on MySpace and she was kind enough to exchange several messages with me and there was something deeply special about her. How she expressed herself and how she nurtured the expressions of others.

Spontaneously we met in person on Thanksgiving Day and the unforgettable magic of that evening is described in My Black Friday Blog which doesn't sound like it would be wonderful from the title, but it truly was.

Because on Thanksgiving we watched a movie about Thanksgiving I had the idea that as close to Christmas as possible we should watch a Christmas movie together and so that's what we did. And then around Easter we were going to watch a Biblical film called The Bible ~ In the Beginning. At first she thought it starred Charlton Heston and. . .

It's No Coincidence

But one day after my explanation that she was probably thinking of The Ten Commandments... Charlton Heston died as described in my blog:

How My Friend Helped Me Kill Charlton Heston

Eventually I imagined we were ready to go out in the world and do something together in public. And she agreed to accompany me on a karaoke adventure, and although we didn't do so on purpose... we settled on a day that happened to be another holiday... this time Halloween wherefore it was incumbent on me to dress up as Elvis. Not surprisingly a festive spirit possessed her as well and she came up with a gorgeous... stunning... 1920's flapper costume.
When I picked her up we compared our cameras and. . .

It's No Coincidence

But we both have Sony Cyber-shots albeit slightly different versions AND we each purchased our cameras approximately if not precisely on the day after Thanksgiving albeit one year apart.
So just as we're arriving at Performance Grill for our karaoke adventure we find ourselves discussing how you can read a book and then be disappointed in the film or you can enjoy the film and be disappointed in the book. One example we used I think was Pet Sematary and another was The Da Vinci Code and of course. . .

It's No Coincidence

But upon entering the club I observed the TV over the bar was tuned into TNT which just happened to be broadcasting the 2006 film The Da Vinci Code.

Her name is Jenny. For a long while I addressed her as Alyssa which is the name she uses online. But gradually our relationship evolves from an online correspondence into a multi-dimensional friendship where her first name seems to fit perfectly. And I never use it without proper deference to the reverential connotation implemented by Forrest Gump.

On Halloween Jenny danced with me. And she showed me the apartment where she used to live. And she told me how confrontational she could be with people who parked in her designated spot. And she asked me sweetly if I wouldn't mind stopping at a specific food mart where she could purchase a favorite sinful beverage during the acquisition of which she manifested a most adorable spirit of mischief. A variety of mischief so poignant that it could only be inspired by the sweet nefarious taste of peach flavored Sysco.

About this time we agreed that we should, for the first time in our lives, visit a drive in theater before the last ones are extinct. I imagine it's already too late. But you see how it was not a boring kind of conversification between us. You see why we've become friends? Am I revealing at least a glimpse?

I brought her to the casino where I work and assured her no one would recognize me. And then the first person we saw, the security officer checking ID's at the door addressed me by name despite my Elvis wig and my gigantic sunglasses and my black leather jacket. And likewise nearly every other person spoke to me in familiar terms... customers and staff alike. People I'd never even seen before were hellbent on illustrating just how infinitely and utterly wrong I was in my supposition that I would go unnoticed.

Back in the car again we hadn't descended more than a couple levels of the parking garage when Jenny detected a bee on the dashboard. This was no harmless crisis either. Jenny has cause to suspect that being stung could be seriously compromising to her health and so on her recommendation we parked the car until this bee... the only one I've seen in about two years... could be extricated... and... don't overlook this... as I was performing my gallant responsibility, Jenny implored me not to kill it. She might as well have said I dare you to resist me... if you think you can. But really... as charming as her various personas are... I cannot be sure she knows positively how endearing she is... just herself. Even when she reads this it's unlikely she'll understand how lucky I know I am to befriend her.

Once more in her home she found herself contending with hiccups which I endeavored to cure her of by having her inflate a paper bag with oxygen which I then forced to collapse by clapping it between my hands. She's not gotten back to me on the degree to which this prescription was or was not successful.

One of the best things about going out with Jenny is that she tells you when she's having fun or even "tons of fun." When you're hanging out with such a beautiful person it makes you feel on top of the world to know she's having a good time.

But the best part of this holiday... as was the case with the holiday during which we first met face to face... was of course the innocent hugging at the end. The hugs that say I like you and I like being close to you.

I already knew a perfect evening could be spent with Jenny making dinner together and watching a movie. But. . .

It's No Coincidence

that now I know a perfect evening could be spent with Jenny anywhere and doing anything on any day.