My friend Amy is now older than I am because she hasn’t yet learned the art of staying the same age for longer than always. But when I met her when we worked together, she was a lot younger than me. It was her first post-college CAREER job, and for some reason–maybe because I was older and as a temp, was still pretending to be a nice person–she sought me out to ask some question about our employer. My only answer was the ever-popular, “I’m just a temp!”, but regardless of my total lack of helpfulness, we became friends. I’m not talking work buddies, I’m talking lifelong, be there for each other no matter what FRIENDS.
Amy at my book signing last December.
I think Amy is beautiful inside and out, but one of my favorite things she would do is make what I called her beaver face, wrinkling her nose, scrunching up her lips, and sticking her teeth out. Sometimes when I needed a laugh–and that was often during the AIDS and corporate years–I’d beg her for the beaver face, and no matter how tired of me she was, she’d humor me.
When she got married back in 2000, I went with her mom, sister, and her on the day that she was getting her bridal portraits done in the beautiful old home where her wedding ceremony would be. We were going up the stairs when I saw the oddest and most unexpected thing ever in a place that hosted weddings. I got Amy to pose with it and make the beaver face.
With her wedding, Amy became stepmom to her husband’s son, which was good preparation for the birth of Jonathan in 2002 and Ryan in 2005. (If you read A COVENTRY CHRISTMAS, you may recognize those as the names of Holly’s sons. Now you know whose names I stole.) Even though Holly is NOT Amy, they do have something else in common, in that Amy and her husband are now expecting baby three. I couldn’t be happier, because they are a couple of the best people and best parents I know.
Plus… if the photo I got today is any indication? One day, I think Jonathan will be making HIS friends laugh, too, because as Amy said in her card, “Wonder where he learned to make this face?!”
Amy sounds like a great person. It’s people like that who make work and life in general bearable!
Feigning ignorance is a great tactic for staying out of trouble at work. I’ve read in different places that the reason why there is such a lack of initiative is because you’re a lot safer not taking any chances. I wish I had known this as a grad student. I could have stayed out of trouble with a lot of my professors if I had just kept my mouth shut a majority of the time during class discussions! Business owners/bosses don’t seem to realize that the following is not a recipe for productive workers: “We want you to tell us what you think and take initiative, but we will get you at any time if you say/do anything we don’t like!” No wonder most workers just keep their head down and meekly just try to keep out of trouble.
Camels are great! Her son is having an experience in that photo that I wish to have someday.
I don’t know what it is about a camel that always makes me smile, but that’s the way it is.
The best thing that ever happened to me was getting out of the corporate world, although it didn’t feel that way when I was laid off. It wasn’t all a bad experience, and I definitely got some wonderful friends out of it, but it was hard on my nervous system.
Tell me you’ve seen Office Space! Absolutely brilliant!
The job I held the longest was at McDonalds where I worked in the grill. I met a lot of friends there but I hated it so much. That’s the problem with most jobs–you’re just doing it for a paycheck. If you aren’t interested in what you do or like it, then it’s just hell–especially when you have bosses trying tell you how you should give your all for the company even though they don’t care about you at all and will throw you away in an instant once they feel you’re expendable.
You sound like a great pair. True friends like this are very rare . . .
“A Coventry Christmas” was waiting for me when I got home from work earlier this week . . . review to follow!!
I hope you enjoy it!
I love my friends and I’m so fortunate to have a number of really good ones. I don’t write about them, but I think it’s because of them that every book I write has good friends in it.
Lol…..Jonathan is too adorable!
There is some lovely person behind Amy in that first pix that makes me smile and smile. If you know that trippy beauty, tell her hi from me.
I’ll be glad to. 😉