I had a bad night on Saturday. It started of good, but then someone did something and it really hurt me. Not so much the action, but when someone who hasn't seen you in a while chooses to embarrass you instead of saying hello, it makes you question if they were ever really a friend to begin with. I won't mention the other things about this person, because most people would wonder what the hell I was friends with them in the first place for. This is not the point of the story.
The point is. I feel like people have really just started to let me down. New and old friends alike just never seem to step up. It seems like nobody cares about anyone else anymore. The world has become so self absorbed that doing for others has become a dirty thought. Well this morning I woke up and I was angry. I was angered more when I read a text basically defending the person, then turning it around onto me as if this was caused by an anger issue I have. The most ironic thing about it all is that his excuse for being a jackass is the thing the person sending me the text got mad at me for. Needless to say, the world sees it as my fault, because I like to occasionally be respected.
So as I laid in bed stewing, I received a text from an old friend. It mentioned a movie he was sure I'd like and told me to see it immediately. He then asked how I was, told me to keep my head up and then paid me one of the highest compliments anyone can give another person. He ended it with "Keep writing - how about that 'everyone has a price' screenplay?" Now it might seem trivial to most, but this question was made regarding a conversation over more than a few beers many years ago. The fact that this seemingly insignificant conversation stayed in his mind shows that sometimes when people talk, their audience not only listens, but hears.
I can't say I will ever write that screenplay, or any for that matter, but it made an impact reading those words this afternoon. It made a difference, because it came from someone who shares many of the same passions I do. From someone who has their bumps in the road, as I have, and can relate. Neither of us has achieved what we're capable of achieving and I think it bothers us more than anyone could ever know. Life isn't about money, but it's funny how the two of us can sit and talk of great works of literature, film and art. We can discuss our passion for the finest foods and our desire to cook. We can talk all we want about all these wonderful things, but we can't to find ways to obtain them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. Maybe that's what makes them so important to us and makes them a passion. The carrot held in front of us, but just out of reach. I want to reach the carrot before I die, but have enough time to enjoy it. Life has taken me on a strange course. I hope to one day meet my friend at a better place for both of us and when we meet, I'll steal one of his lines and say to him, "Well, we sure did take the circuitous route."
The point is. I feel like people have really just started to let me down. New and old friends alike just never seem to step up. It seems like nobody cares about anyone else anymore. The world has become so self absorbed that doing for others has become a dirty thought. Well this morning I woke up and I was angry. I was angered more when I read a text basically defending the person, then turning it around onto me as if this was caused by an anger issue I have. The most ironic thing about it all is that his excuse for being a jackass is the thing the person sending me the text got mad at me for. Needless to say, the world sees it as my fault, because I like to occasionally be respected.
So as I laid in bed stewing, I received a text from an old friend. It mentioned a movie he was sure I'd like and told me to see it immediately. He then asked how I was, told me to keep my head up and then paid me one of the highest compliments anyone can give another person. He ended it with "Keep writing - how about that 'everyone has a price' screenplay?" Now it might seem trivial to most, but this question was made regarding a conversation over more than a few beers many years ago. The fact that this seemingly insignificant conversation stayed in his mind shows that sometimes when people talk, their audience not only listens, but hears.
I can't say I will ever write that screenplay, or any for that matter, but it made an impact reading those words this afternoon. It made a difference, because it came from someone who shares many of the same passions I do. From someone who has their bumps in the road, as I have, and can relate. Neither of us has achieved what we're capable of achieving and I think it bothers us more than anyone could ever know. Life isn't about money, but it's funny how the two of us can sit and talk of great works of literature, film and art. We can discuss our passion for the finest foods and our desire to cook. We can talk all we want about all these wonderful things, but we can't to find ways to obtain them. Maybe that's the way it's supposed to be. Maybe that's what makes them so important to us and makes them a passion. The carrot held in front of us, but just out of reach. I want to reach the carrot before I die, but have enough time to enjoy it. Life has taken me on a strange course. I hope to one day meet my friend at a better place for both of us and when we meet, I'll steal one of his lines and say to him, "Well, we sure did take the circuitous route."
Comments
Post a Comment