1) If the plane crashes, I want to be appropriately dressed when the news crews show up even if I am ... well ... you know ... pushing up daisies.
2) I have a thing about texture (of course I do), so it's important that what I wear on the plane doesn't irritate my skin. The last thing I need is for my clothes to make me more anxious than I already am when I have to fly.
3) I refuse to give up hope that Ellen will be seated next to me, and I need to look sharp. Stop laughing ... it could happen.
4) You know how everyone stares at you when you're walking down that tiny aisle trying to find your seat? Enough said on that one.
A couple of weeks before I left for my most recent trip to Canada, I bought a pair of super comfy, lightweight, cream-colored khaki pants thinking they would be great to wear on the plane ... and they were. I was stinking proud of myself that morning when I stepped into the pants that felt and looked as though they were straight from heaven. I tucked in my navy blue button-down shirt, threaded my brown belt through the belt loops, slipped on my blue Converse shoes, stood in front of my mirror and said out loud, "Hey, everybody! Look how good I look!" (That's a line from the movie Anchorman, just in case you didn't know.) Max and Ollie didn't appear to be nearly as impressed with my look that morning as I was, but I certainly had one of those rare moments when I was more than pleased with how I looked in my clothes.
My flights that day were great, mostly because I was travelling with my son Brad, but I also like to think they were great because I was feeling so good about my chosen attire. I was thrilled to see my daughter-in-law and my two little grandgals when Brad and I walked through the doors at the Edmonton airport ... there's no feeling in the world like the feeling I get when I see Coraline and Amelie's eyes light up when they first see me. I never knew I could feel as loved as I do when those girls jump into my arms ... there is absolutely nothing on earth like feeling their little arms wrap around my neck as they squeal and giggle with excitement that their Ghee is there for a visit. My infatuation with my more than satisfactory choice in clothing that day melted away in an instant. It wasn't until we were on our way home from the airport that little miss Coraline brought my clothing ... and my perspective about it ... sharply into focus.
I was sitting in the back seat in between the girls' car seats when my genius granddaughter said, "Ghee, why are you wearing dat shirt?" I laughed as I said, "What's wrong with my shirt, baby girl ... do you not like it?" Coraline shook her head and said adamantly, "No, Ghee, I don't wike it." I chuckled again at the insistence of my 3-year-old granddaughter's dislike of my navy blue shirt and asked her why she didn't like it. "Because I like purple and pink shirts, Ghee." And then as quickly as she had announced her shirt color preference, my sweet little pal switched gears and began to tell me all about the giant-sized jar of peanut butter she and her mom had purchased at Costco for me to eat while I was at her house. That's the greatest thing of all about kids, you know ... they are honest and they don't hesitate to express their feelings about everything. But you know what else is super great about Coraline? She knows she can tell me anything ... at three years old, she already knows that there's nothing she can ever say or do that will change my love for her and that anything she says is always safe with me. And you better believe I will do everything in my power to make sure her baby sister knows that as well.
Ever since my ugly shirt conversation with Coraline (and my "Ghee, your toots stink" or "Ghee, why is your hair not prickly under your hat? You're apposed to have prickly hair" or "You're my best Ghee ever" or "Ghee, sometimes I get scared in my room" or "Ghee, I love you so much" conversations), I've been thinking a lot about how important those kinds of relationships really are ... relationships that are open and honest and real and transparent ... relationships where judgment is nonexistent ... relationships that are built on a solid foundation of trust. I've come to learn over the years, especially over the last few years, that there are people you can trust and people ... well ... people you can't. I've also come to learn that we all need people we can trust to keep our most heartfelt, most life-altering, most secret confessions ... people with whom we can confidently share the good, the bad, the funny, the sorrowful, the wild and crazy, the humbling, the awesome, the embarrassing and everything else in between, and know beyond the shadow of any doubt that we are safe in doing so.
Last week as I chatted with one of my best guy friends about stuff I wouldn't feel comfortable chatting about with anyone else on the planet, I realized how very blessed I am. I know I can tell him anything ... and I do mean anything. My life is so much richer because he is my friend, and I wouldn't trade our friendship for anything in the world. I laughed out loud in my car that evening on my way home when I recalled our earlier conversation ... I laughed out loud and I thanked God for giving me such an incredible gift as my friend. As I pulled into my driveway, I was struck with a thought ... everyone needs one ... everyone needs one person in their life like my awesome guy friend. Everyone needs one, and everyone should be one. Everyone needs a Coraline to tell them the truth, and everyone needs a Ghee to tell the truth to ... yep, yep ... everyone needs one, and everyone should be one.
Everyone needs one ... everyone should be one ... that's worth some serious mulling over, friends ... some really serious mulling over indeed.
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