It has been my great privilege/blessing/luck to have benefited, recently, from assistance from a number of friends. I want to…I must thank them. Some of the help is too personal to describe, and, even though I have thanked them all privately, I want to go on record in this public space and say thanks. (You know who you are.)
It is great to have positive and responsive people in your corner. I am proud that I have built a base of support and connection that can be called upon when needed. (I had to trust that this base was there for me. I had to open my mouth (and email) and ask for help.)
Among the recent help I got was:
- Having a friend forwarded a part-time job to me that I’d never seen posted on any of the job sites I view regularly. I applied and I got it. (Thank you.)
- Two friends gave such glowing recommendations that I was offered two part-time jobs within a week. (Gracias)
- Three other friends assisted me in surprising my Mom and step dad for their 75th and 81st birthdays. (Merci beau coup.)
For most of my life, I have been the friend who notices a need and responds. I rarely ask for help or admit that I need it. Recently, I have learned to get over myself and reach out…gingerly. After all, people can’t read your mind when you stay isolated and silent.
So, thank you, thank you, and thank you again.
“I get by with a little help from my friends.”
*(I’ve reprinted the lyrics from this Beatles song below. Please note, that while I don’t “get high with a little help from my friends” (and never have), the rest of the lyrics are apropos for this situation.)
With a Little Help from My Friends
(performed by The Beatles on the Sgt. Peppers Lonely hearts Club Band album 1967. Lyricists: Paul McCartney & John Lennon)
What would you think if I sang out of tune,
Would you stand up and walk out on me ?
Lend me your ears and I’ll sing you a song
And I’ll try not to sing out of key.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
What do I do when my love is away
(Does it worry you to be alone ?)
How do I feel by the end of the day,
(Are you sad because you’re on your own ?)
No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.
Would you believe in a love at first sight
Yes, I’m certain that it happens all the time
What do you see when you turn out the light
I can’t tell you but I know it’s mine.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends
Do you need anybody
I just need someone to love
Could it be anybody
I want somebody to love.
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends