Happy Monday! <3
Spoiler alert: the blog title isn't what it sounds like. Stay tuned.
Allow me to apologize for my two week hiatus from blog writing as I had a very very busy couple of weeks at work. Though stressful and hectic we survived and we did it gracefully and with smiles on our faces. I'd like to take this time to welcome Tracy and Rob to our management team. We are so excited to have you on our team and cannot wait to teach you everything that there is to know about the pier!
Secondly, a special thank you to all 102 of my associates for helping to prepare for last week's amazingly successful regional visit and for helping us to attain our first perfect 5 secret shop of the year. Mom loves each of you very much!
Thirdly, I would like to take the time to congratulate one of my very best friends on his promotion to the international new store's team. Jesse, I am so stinking excited for you and I cannot wait to hear all of your amazing stories and follow your journey throughout the world. Despite the fact that you spend a great deal of effort convincing our district (and every waitress that we have ever had) that we are dating, I love you very much and I will miss the crap out of you. I know that Liz is your favorite, but this is the best that I could do. This picture is perfect, and so are you (high stress levels and all).
Now, onto the stranger.
Last weekend, Cory and I headed out with some friends to Shadyside where I stumbled across a man, roughly my age, that was very very intoxicated. Now, I know what you're thinking: no way, a drunk guy at the bar? Groundbreaking.
Give me a minute.
It was apparent to me that this man had been at the bar for quite some time. He could barely sit up straight and his eyes were rolling into the back of his head. He was also alone. Any time anyone came up to the bar, he tried to strike up a conversation with them. I watched six or seven people accept free drinks from this man and then walk away from him while laughing with their friends, leaving him alone at the bar. The bartender continued to serve alcohol to this man until I walked up to him and suggested that we leave the bar area and grab a table.
I began talking to this man, Tom was his name, and he shared a few pieces of information about himself with me. First, he was a U.S. Marine. He has been to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has a daughter that is two years old. His wife moved herself and his daughter to Virginia and does not allow him to see her. He is 23 years old. And the one piece of information that stood out the most to me is that he said that he has never had anyone care about him the way I did.
Reminder: I had known this man for roughly 15 minutes.
Yes, Tom had too many drinks. Way to many drinks, to be completely fair. However, the fact that at that very moment or at any moment throughout his life he believed for a single second that a complete stranger was the most compassionate person he has ever met really speaks volumes about his life and about the world that we are living in.
I offered to drive Tom home and he began to cry. We continued talking about life and when the bar closed Cory, our friends, Tom and I all walked back to my car together. Tom said he lived a few blocks away. He didn't. But, it didn't matter. He sat in the backseat trying to make small talk with Cory while shouting out directions to his house that was about four miles from the bar.
When we got to his house, he thanked me and asked me if he could kiss my cheek. He talked to Cory about how great I was and then he told Cory that if he ever hurt me, he would find him and kill him. Tom exited my car and crossed the street to what I believe to be his home. I don't know his last name. I don't have his phone number. I will never see him again and he probably woke up in the morning not remembering how he got home.
Here is the moral of the story: selfless acts fuel the world.
I gained absolutely nothing out of driving Tom home. However, when I fell asleep that night, I knew that one life breathed easier for a period of time because of something that I did whether he remembers it or not.
Now, if everyone could please remove their head out of their ass and care about someone other than his or her self for five freaking seconds, they could impact the life of another human being.
I think it is also important for everyone to also take a moment and appreciate how it is actually mind-blowing that my boyfriend put up with this and many other adventures that I throw him into. Love is an amazing thing.
I hope that everyone has a fantastic and successful week.
Here's to doing for those that can do absolutely nothing for you in return,
Xoxo <3
Happy Sunday :)
This week's blog topic stems from recent events that I have witnessed directly through my girlfriends' relationships and past relationships. As some of you may know, my signature line has always been, "this is why I can't have a boyfriend." I used this slogan frequently when I couldn't use "He actually did that? Are you fucking kidding me?" This line usually came directly after listening to my friends tell me about the stunts that their boyfriends/ex-boyfriends pulled on them.
Luckily for me, I have found the person that will never let me down. My friends will never have to question the legitimacy of our relationship and if you don't believe me; ask around. However, along with Mr. Right comes a great perspective on relationships in general. Before, I had an idea of what a relationship should be like and the way that two people should be able to successfully function together.
Some people believed that I had unrealistic expectations. Those people were wrong.
Now that I know that my idea of relationships is not only possible but also amazing, I can't help but try to guide my friends in the right direction when it comes to cutting out the bad seeds from their lives.
Today's blog isn't about the drunk guy that approaches girls in a bar. Today's blog isn't about the guy in your summer class that asks you on a date. Today's blog is about the repeat offenders. It's about the guy whom you have explicitly told that you are not interested in seeing them but they just don't seem to get it.
Now, gentlemen, I know that girls like this exist also. Don't get mad and say that I'm sexist. We can elaborate on the ladies a different day. We're talking about my friends and these idiots that just don't give up.
So, without further adieu, here is some advice for the gentlemen that can't let my friends go:
1. Technology is pretty reliable these days. When you call her, text her, email her.... she sees it. She saw your missed call, she listened to your voice mail, she read your text, and now, she's ignoring you. Why? Oh, because you broke up with her. When she wanted to talk you out of the break up, you didn't give her the time of day but now you're utilizing every form of communication known to man to try to get a hold of her? Come on. Don't Facebook inbox her a message asking whether or not she got your messages. She got them. Everyone knows that you only inbox someone on Facebook for two reasons a)you're planning a surprise party or b)you're a stalker.
2. When you tell a girl that you don't want to date her; stop asking her to hang out. Every girl understands what you want from that point on... and it's not to take her out for expensive dinner. If you've found a girl with little to no self respect then good for you, you get the best of both worlds. If you found one of my friends; jokes on you. If you aren't looking for a girl to date, pick up a girl at the bar, don't try to recycle someone that may or may not have an emotional attachment to you.
3. Never underestimate a woman's ability to get a date (or anything else for that matter). If you think that your ex-girlfriend is laying in her bed eating ice cream with a tablespoon while crying over your breakup; you are wrong. She may have done that for an hour or so. However, she bounced back and she did it quickly. In fact, she's probably drinking an over-priced cocktail with a hotter, taller man as I type this. Don't get mad, you asked for it.
4. Don't Snapchat her. Don't like her Instagram photo. Don't like her status on Facebook. You didn't see a gummy bear and think "gosh I have to send a photo of this thing to my ex-girlfriend." You didn't think her photo of her lunch was the coolest thing you've ever seen either. We see right through you. We know you're only doing that to make her think about you, even if it's for a minute. Don't be selfish. She has a date tonight.
5. Even if she may not be able to figure it initially, she has me, or a friend like me to straighten her out very quickly. If you are using my friend I will talk her out of hooking up with you in a heartbeat. It's what girls do for one another. Have you ever tried to dance with a girl at the bar and one of her friends pulled her away and asked her to come to the bathroom with us? Yeah. Well, we didn't actually have to use the bathroom, we were just trying to save her from you. We do stuff like that all of the time, and we will do it when we realize your non-relationship antics.
With that being said: GIRLS OPEN YOUR EYES. If you ever question the legitimacy of your relationship read the We Aren't Dating Epidemic blog post from a couple of months ago. You won't be sorry.
I hope that everyone has a great week, I love you all,
Here's to enjoying this heatwave and avoiding terrible human beings,
Xoxo
