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Life is Big: Friendship is Bigger

Liz Buechele

Last weekend, I had the opportunity to see Theatre Westminster present Italian American Reconciliation, a play by John Patrick Shanley. At one point, thrown to the edge of his rope, the main character laments “things are too big for a little guy like me not to be scared.” Immediately, striking a chord, I jotted down the thought on the back of my program.

The character had a point. Life is big. As a matter of fact, it is literally the biggest thing any of us will ever experience. We’ve all felt the way that character felt at times. Life can seem so big and overwhelming, and sometimes, downright scary.

Trust me I’m the last one to admit my fears. I’m the first person to put on the brave face and pretend that I’m not worried about a thing. Yet the simple fact of the matter is we all get scared sometimes. And that’s okay. What’s not okay is bottling up that fear and refusing to acknowledge those emotions.

I’m not saying to walk around narrating every negative thought that pops into your head. Instead, healthily acknowledge its existence and move on. Because sometimes, life will knock you down. And that’s okay too, so long as you remember to stand back up.

So, in honor of this being the Thanksgiving edition of the Holcad, I’m going to throw in a general shout out to the people who remind you to stand back up: friends.

There is a certain unexplainable phenomenon that occurs thousands of times every day across the world: the moment you realize you have a true friend. Notice, I never mentioned the moment you meet someone new, or thinking about how you would be good friends. Those moments can be defined by an exact physical event.

What I’m referring to is the moment after a long “life talk” that has drained everything from your soul. The light bulb moment inside your heart when you suddenly realize you have a friend for life. Those are the moments when you truly comprehend love. Realizing someone is there for you no matter what is perhaps the most freeing and invincible feeling in the world.

The character in the play was right, sometimes life can be scary. Despite that, I’ve come to realize that when you have a friend by your side, everything will be okay.

So in honor of Thanksgiving, I’m sending all of my amazing friends my love (especially the two who convinced me I could even write an inspirational column). And to everybody who has believed in me far more than I deserve, thank you so much. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and make sure you let all your friends know how grateful you are for them.

Love always,

Liz

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