Necks, Pools and Webinars

Laughter is the best medicine.  ALWAYS.  There are scientific studies that show that laughing benefits the body and mind.  I am not a scientist and this is not a scientific blog, so if you need info about those studies, you are on your own.  I suggest Google.

I had a chance for a good laugh recently with a couple of great friends.  In the midst of a scary days and weeks, oh how I needed these friends and that laughter.  It all started with a webinar I had to attend for work.  It was in place of a meeting in Indy, and I was all about NOT TRAVELING!  Good grief, my plate is so full with school, work and Big’s health the last thing I needed was to drive to Indy for a 4-hour meeting.  When the webinar was suggested instead, I was ALL IN!!

So, anyway, I get to the office and log on.  And some in the group of about 8 participants wanted to actually SEE each other so I turned on my webcam.  It was humorous.  I felt like I was looking at myself in a square from the Brady Bunch intro.  There we all were… in squares on the screen

As I sat there and I saw myself in the webcam, I was struck with how skinny my face and neck looked.  I’ve been doing Weight Watchers for about 5 months and I’ve lost over 30 lbs… and I COULD SEE IT!  I felt like some of these other Brady Bunch participants SHOULD notice and SHOULD comment… but they didn’t.  So I texted a best friend, Elizabeth from Maryland (and Nebraska and Indiana and Illinois):

“I’m in a webinar right now and my face looks so skinny on the screenJ.” 

“Because you are rocking the weight loss!!!”  Yes, she included three exclamation points.  That is NOT artistic liberty.

And I sat there listening to the webinar and admiring my neck.

Then yesterday after Big’s appointment with the Pediatric Hematologist, I called another best friend, Laurel from Tennessee, to get medical advice.  She is an RN and has helped me navigate all this unknown.  I, sadly, had to cancel our planned girls day next Wednesday because instead of meeting her in Michigan, I’ll be heading to Chicago with Big for the biopsy.  In the course of conversation, I shared with her about the webinar and my beautiful neck.  Laurel has a skinny neck and we joke often that in pictures she gets these weird dips by her collar bone. After any selfie she says “Let me see if my neck looks weird before you post that!”  I pointed out that if I keep losing weight, I might get a weird neck, too!  Big was with me in the car listening to all out insanity and asked what I meant about Laurel’s neck.  I tried to explain that she could hold water in these collar bone dips.  I said they were like a Barbie swimming pool!  Big rolled her eyes and Laurel and I laughed like the crazy old ladies we are becoming.  I loved that moment.

And it got even better.  After my Weight Watcher’s weigh in, where I officially entered ONEderland (weighing in at less than 200 lbs, thank you very much Weight Watchers and hard work), I posted about the accomplishment on Facebook.  Laurel responded with the comment: I was just thinking how nice and slender your neck is looking. Barbie doll swimming pools, here we come!  And I laughed OUT LOUD, alone in my bedroom.  Yep… A big ol’ “HA!!”

And I remembers how blessed I am to have Elizabeth and Laurel in my life.  These ladies really “get” me and provide encouragement and laughter when I need it most.  They also provide amazing support when life is hard.  Laurel came and was with me when we lost baby #1 just over 14 years ago.  Her presence and cookie bouquet at the hospital meant more than she will EVER know.  And Elizabeth… I cannot count the number of lunches she went to with me on the spur of the moment because I was about to LOOSE MY MARBLES! 

These ladies are my tribe.  My people.  I cannot imagine doing life without them.  I need friends who know the truths of Song of Solomon 7:4 “Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are the pools of Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim. Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon looking toward Damascus.”  Ok, so Solomon kind of has the pools misplaced, but I don’t think he has ever seen Laurel’s neck.  And the nose comment, well… let’s leave that right there!

Let me know if your Barbie’s need a pool party.  They can come on over!