By most standards I’ve had a charmed life. I’ve made a living joking around on the radio. I’ve also done a little stand-up comedy and some TV work.
I have had some incredible experiences and met some people who have taken their lives to celebrity status. In fact, some of these people have become my friends and to my horror I have taken almost every opportunity to point that out to everyone within earshot. I hate that about me. My excuse is that my entire life has been centered around show business. It’s my reality and my only point of reference so when I add to a conversation, my personal experiences could easily be mistaken as a name-drop or a brag.
Today I made a big decision. One that will change my life. One I should have made years ago. I decided to keep a lot of the details of my incredible life to myself. Instead I will keep my mouth shut and I will use that very moment to be grateful of what I’ve achieved. Silently.
And wouldn’t you know it, on this very day, the day I made that decision, I ran into someone I went to Jr. high school with who has made a name for himself as a drummer in a band you’ve heard of.
We made eye contact and he seemed approachable so I brought up what we have in common. I told him that his locker was next to mine and I remember him taking out his drumsticks and using them to beat on his locker.
I remember very few people from my past but he was always very nice to me, so years later when I heard a guy with his same name was the drummer of a famous rock band, it hit me that this must be the same guy.
I’m not a fanboy of his or his band, but I’m so glad I had the opportunity to thank him for being nice to me when nobody else was. And above all, it was great to tell a kid I knew back in the day that I was happy to see he got to live his dream. We had a real moment.
I could tell that he was touched by my comments. I don’t feel the need to share his name or his band and that in itself is a big moment for me.
So why am I writing about this then? Isn’t this also a brag? Yes it is. However my real reason for writing this is I’m sure we’ve all had friends or people we went to school with make it. And if you do, I highly suggest you congratulate them on living their dream. And then just let it go. There’s no need to tell others you went to school with them or once flew on a plane with them or that you have the same proctologist.
Being genuinely happy for somebody who gets to live their dream is rare. Most people are jealous. The odds were never in their favor and they did it. Give them their flowers. They aren’t better than you. They are however a good example that dreams do come true and to never give up.
