I lost my significant other in the 1990s. I once told a friend who lost his wife that same decade that trying to get through the holiday season when everyone around you seems coupled and you’re not is like walking an emotional tightrope made of tinsel. Only at 12:01 am on New Year’s morning, do you feel like you’ve made it across safely to the other side. After all have kissed and the festive, sentimental season is winding down.
This year was different. Like millions of other Americans who’d worked hard for a long time, suddenly I was out of work. I needed unemployment benefits for months. I also got an application for food stamps. Yes, sir, 2009 slapped me around like I was Faye Dunaway’s character in the last 20 minutes of CHINATOWN. This year was a test of faith — faith in a Higher Benevolent Force and faith in one’s self. You need faith in yourself to keep applying for work and moving forward past each rejection. This year, something happened to me that was truly life-affirming, a simple act of kindness that made my spirit light up like a Christmas tree. Several friends of mine called me or took me out for coffee to give me encouragement. It wasn’t just “Don’t worry. Things will get better.” They made sure the words “Do NOT give up” really landed on my heart. They gave me good counsel. They listened to me. The told me that I’m talented. They hugged me. They made me feel significant in their lives. All of which, I needed.
Never had I been so broke during a holiday season. Yet, rarely have I felt so rewarded. So blessed and humbled by the attention of friends. Corny as it may be, I did feel a bit like George Bailey at the end of IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE. Only I didn’t have Zuzu’s petals in my pocket. I turned on the TV this morning and found ANNIE HALL playing on a cable station. Here’s an example of how sweetly funny life can be. Sigourney Weaver was an extra in that 1977 comedy classic. She’s seen briefly in the last scene of the movie. Woody Allen’s character is giving a monologue and she’s seen as his date, standing with him under a movie theater marquee. It’s a long shot. You don’t even see her face close up and she has no dialogue. She just the tall lady standing next to Woody’s character. In the credits, Sigourney Weaver’s name is next to last. Two years later, she played Ripley in ALIEN. That role changed her career. She went on to make Oscar® history as one of the few women to be nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress in the same year. Today, she’s starring in AVATAR, one of the biggest hit films of 2009. See? Life can be sweetly funny. You can’t lose faith.
I made it through this year with more than a little help from my friends. And family. I had a wonderful Christmas season. I wish for you one of the best new years ever. Cheers!