We spend most of our day focused on the stressors of work and family obligations. Ninety-eight percent of our time is spent complaining about our lack of sleep, caffeine deprivation, our rush-hour traffic stints, our empty refrigerators, and just about everything else that could possibly be wrong in our lives. I am by no means exempt from this barrage of negativity; at times, I'm leading the parade. But there comes a time when I just want to be happy.
Currently, there is more than enough to complain about in my life: unemployment, dwindling finances, increasing credit card bills, the extreme likelihood of having to move back to my parents' house, my love life (or lack thereof). Golly knows I've spent my time venting about my misery, but something about recent events is making me just plain joyous. The really interesting part of this influx of merriment is that the catalyst has absolutely nothing to do with me nor does it impact my life in any particular way.
Two weeks ago, one of my best friends got engaged. Being the uber-girl that I am, I giggled, squeeled, clapped, and kept repeating how exciting it was that she (finally) got engaged. Having gone to college with both of them, I've had the fortunate opportunity to bear witness to their relationship from the very beginning, and I love that it's being legally solidified for the rest of their lives. My friend said she was waiting a bit to begin planning because they just wanted to enjoy being engaged for a while, which I totally understand. This meant serious restraint on my part, refraining from collecting every bride magazine and article I could get my hands on, and barraging her with themes, colors, dresses, and cakes. But now that she's officially getting the wedding ball rolling, I've started to do a little research into what dresses would look good on her, what other brides have done (thank you theknot.com), simple money-saving tips, and just about anything wedding-related. That being said, I have to keep reminding myself not to overwhelm her because this is HER wedding. This should be fun for her, not work. I have a tendency to overstep sometimes, innocently of course, but it's something I'm trying to work on. But planning and exploring all this stuff is fun for me. Plus, it gives me something to do with my day other than leaf through job rejections and watch murder stories on the A&E. But again, it's about her, not me.
However, it got me thinking, while I would love nothing more than to be planning my own wedding to my dream-come-true-kind-of-guy, the excitement I know my friend is feeling is contagious. As a bystander, there's something almost magical about being able to watch your friend/pseudo-family member prepare for a celebration of her love with a very special person. Call me a romantic, but I love weddings. One thing I've told my friends and family is that they should in no way feel obligated to make me a bridesmaid or have me participate in the wedding just because we're related or we've known each other for an extended period of time. I just want to be invited. I just want to be there. And I want to reserve the right to cry because it's just so beautiful (you know I will, let's be real).
I get to be there when my friends stand up before their chosen gods or secular officiants and say, "This is my person. I love them and I choose to spend my life with them." There's just something very happy about being a witness to that kind of love and dedication. And I feel very lucky to say that the beautiful couple standing up in front of everyone are my friends.
