Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Lovely and Wise

We had a lovely weekend. Sunday we went to the last wedding of the summer. It was a morning wedding, which was a nice change of pace and food. They had a breakfast buffet, so I was careful to load up on fruit and eggs before looking at the pastry section, which I happily managed to avoid, though I did go for some waffles. Yum. Unfortunately I couldn't partake of the mimosas because my head still seems to be volatile and any alcohol can send me into migraine hell. The wedding took place in Saratoga at a winery in the hills that looks out over Santa Clara Valley. I've been there for concerts and winetastings many times, but the beauty of the place never ceases to amaze me. The reception was set up on a large deck on the hillside so you can see out over the valley. Unfortunately it was boiling hot on Sunday, so we were ducking into the shade and any breeze we could find. Hottest day of the weekend apparently. The poor boys in their tuxes looked like they'd melt. Dresses aren't the best in heat either since you have to sit 'properly' and that doesn't exactly let you air out, so to speak, but compared to the boys, we were lucky. Most of my friends at the wedding are people I met while training for the marathon two years ago. We've stayed pretty close to a small group of them, but I only see others at big events like this. I started chatting with one guy who I hadn't seen for ages. I forgot he was into writing and he hadn't heard that I'd quit and begun writing, so we were talking about that. I'm relatively shy when discussing my writing, but I find I open up to other writers more freely because they always seem to understand. For some reason I was telling him that it was a hard decision for me to give up a 'real' job to write this novel and that I hate feeling dependent on Husband, because I wouldn't be doing this without his support. He just laughed at me and said, "None of us would be able to achieve our dreams without the help of our friends and family. Do you think I'd be running a marathon without all my friends cheering me on out there?" This comment really struck me, and I realized it is a silly notion that we could achieve our dreams completely independently. I've always struggled with this because after my stay-at-home mom was left to raise four kids on her own, I swore I'd always be able to take care of myself. I told husband about our conversation and he loved it. He said, "Everybody needs a little help sometimes." I think this will be my new mantra.

5 comments:

Yvonne said...

Great post! I also feel guilty about giving up and having my fella support me, but you are absolutely right. I'm also a very independent person but there is absolutely nothing wrong with relying on others. (That's MY new mantra too!)

Rebecca said...

indeed - we all need help sometimes and you are very lucky to have such a cool, supportive boyfriend. (but he'll be proud to say he helped you get there when you're on the bestseller charts!!!)

Kristen @ frostingandfroth.com said...

A hearty second to all of that!

Anonymous said...

We always say: "Behind the success of every man there's a woman". But the contrary is equally valid, isn't it?

Seems you had a nice wedding time.

Angie said...

Hellojed, It is hard to lean on others, but essential sometimes, I suppose. I'm glad it provided you with a mantra too!

Rebecca, he is a cool supportive husband (not bf ;). He can't wait to claim he supported me if I'm every successful. :) Hardy har.

Kris, cheers.

Alfaking, that is a good quote and I'm glad to see the contrary is true these days. The wedding was a blast.

Ang xx