The perfect way to spite perfection is to do it anyway. You got this.”
Not to be egotistical, but I said that.
And the best part about it is, I didn’t remember saying it until a friend quoted me and gave me credit.
Don’t get me wrong, I remember having the conversation with my friend; I remember saying something that resonated with her so much she joked I should put it on a shirt, and as I was typing back my reply of “You can use that” she was typing, “I may make a post with that as the title…” so I changed my response to “You have my full permission.” I remember reading back over the text then, and thinking, “damn, that is a good sentiment to remember, isn’t it?” And then we carried on with our conversation.
See, my friend Hannah is what I’d consider a kindred spirit. As soon as we met I knew there was something about her that just felt like she’d been in my life this whole time and she wasn’t going to go anywhere. Not physically, of course, as I knew when we became friends that she would only live here as long as her husband’s medical internship allowed, but I could sense she would be one of the friends that would find a cozy little home in my heart and stay there for the rest of our days. So far so good.
Hannah and I met through the ballet studio I now work for, but then was just volunteering with. I wasn’t even dancing anymore as she arrived the first season after I’d had to give it all up due to declining health issues. Safe to say, Hannah met me and got to know me at my absolute worst. Yet she still sticks around? She’s a saint, y’all. But really, she is a deep, precious soul who never loves half-way. She is immensely passionate about her dreams, investing her whole person into them, which makes you feel like it’s a delight just to be in her orbit. The authenticity that radiates off of her is intoxicating, making you want to be a better, more authentic person just from being around her. And she loves her people fiercely; no matter the time or distance or any other matter, if I were to call her, she’d answer and be whatever I needed. (Now, she’d probably be dancing when I called, but listen, in this house we respect boundaries and know that if I call and she can’t answer, if I leave a voicemail she’s calling me immediately first chance she gets.) She is a gem and a delight.
Hannah lives life with her eyes and her heart wide open. She has experienced things most people would never even imagine and couldn’t fathom enduring themselves. She knows joy and sorrow in equal measure, yet she chooses the joy day after day to be where she sets her sights. She can find the joy in spite of the sorrow, even when that looks like staring down the tunnel of unimaginable grief again. And since she does all of this with open eyes and an open heart, there is so much we can learn from her.
Hannah is also a writer. Newer to the public sense of that world, but that doesn’t diminish her gift. It’s innate, and she has recently found the courage to begin sharing her thoughts with the rest of us; thoughts so uniquely her, yet ones that can be related to by any reader. That’s the power of authenticity, and she’s drenched in it.
And so, dear reader, once she’s put the kids to bed and has a little more time to make it more official, I will update this little post of mine with a link to her words so you can see for yourself. (Edit: here’s the link!)
See what bravery looks like; what it means to show up in spite of your fears to spite perfection by doing it anyway. Get your glimpse into the world of one of the people I consider myself most honored to call my friend.
1988- 