Paint Party
I found that I couldn't get it all done on my own so I reached out to
my friends. I sent out an email to ask those who had mentioned they wanted to
help. I asked 18 friends and 14 replied that they would be there. Several were out of
town but they offered to help later. It was an amazing feeling to
have such support.
I have always been a giver because being a giver feels
really good and you are not vulnerable. To ask for help felt strange and a bit
uncomfortable, but I knew I could not do it without them. They had offered
many times so I took the chance.
I am so glad I did. It was the most wonderful feeling. My
friends showed up and worked so hard for two days that the house buzzed like a bee
hive, lots of laughter and talking. I felt so supported and loved.
We had pizza and tea, it was more like a party than work. I
really learned something from this experience. I learned that it makes others
feel good to give back. It made me feel really valued by my friends that they
loved me enough to paint (a rather awful task). I felt uplifted and loved, that they would be there no matter what.
I now feel stronger and safer than I ever have. I want to
give back even more than I did before. I still need to perfect the lesson of
receiving, as I sat at the table for tea I kept telling people, "sit down
we have a chair for you" and, "did you get any tea or cookies?" All my friends just
laughed and said, "you need to trust that we will ask for what we need and you
don’t have to take care of everyone."
What a gift. It took my life falling apart to learn this. I
hope you have known this or can learn to receive without the pain of loss. It is
truly amazing.
That is so wonderful. You have great friends because of your thoughtful, giving ways. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThank you so much. :)
Delete