Writing’s on the walls
Take the time to read it.
My day typically ends with a FaceTime call with my best friend Katy. My night owl tendencies pair well with Katy’s in-person and online musical performance instruction.
On the other side of tonight’s video call is a musical performance instructor who has just finished a 13-hour day of life-changing time with her students. She gives all of herself to her flute, piano, voice and ukulele students, but with so much giving, sometimes we all need a pep talk.
Now, I’ll be honest, I had been drinking.
In hearing about Katy’s day, I want to be a sounding board but my liquid mentor decides that listening isn’t enough. I want to provide some words of encouragement. I need words that remind her why she set out to teach in the first place. I need words to re-center her focus onto the bigger picture. I need words to reinforce that she’s the only one who can do what she does, the way she does it.
Words.
I need words.
I’ll be honest, the words aren’t coming to me.
And then liquid providence illuminates words I can use.
I see the writing on the wall.
Like literally.
Behind Katy, hanging on the wall, is a pretty painted sign with words of encouragement. You know, the wall decoration you buy in a craft store with reminders of why we set out to follow our dreams. Words that re-center our focus. Words to reinforce that we are the only ones who can do what we do in the way we do it.
And I’ll be honest, I’m not having any original thought.
So, I start reading out loud from the sign Katy sees every single day in her studio office.
“Katy, I’m so happy that you follow your bliss.”
“Awww, thanks Moey.”
“You’re an original. Don’t be a carbon copy.”
I’m reorganizing the words from the wall hanging into personalized sentences.
Katy, instead of receiving (or recognizing) my platitudes of positivity, chalks my pep talk up to my alcohol coach.
She humors me as I continue to encourage her.
“Believe in yourself.”
“Believe in miracles.”
“Smile. Dance. Sing.”
I keep reading.
And then I realize, Katy thinks this is all coming from my own brain. She doesn’t recognize the words from the thing her eyes see every. single. day. Words on a decoration she most likely bought.
And the more I realize this, the more I just read the words exactly as painted. I don’t make complete sentences. I don’t re-frame the sentiments. I sound like a drunken friend trying to cheer up her best friend with the best Hallmark greeting card sign-offs.
Katy graciously accepts the praise and the encouragement and asking if I’ll remember this tomorrow (oh, I will). By the time our call is over, we’re both in tears from laughing.
Now, the best part of pranks or jokes is timing and sometimes, the best ones take patience. A lot of patience. And while this didn’t start out as a joke, when I realized that Katy didn’t recognize the words from the wall right behind her, my plan was to not reveal my source of inspiration (hint: it wasn’t the booze) until she figured it out.
I envisioned a day where she’d be at the piano, look up and see the script from my pep talk.
Follow your bliss. (That sounds familiar).
Don’t be a carbon copy. (Wait, I’ve heard that before).
Be an original. (Oh. My. Goodness. That Mo… she’s something else).
I envisioned her slowly cracking up and losing it as she read through what had been my teleprompter on the wall.
One week passed and there was no revelation of the hilarity of realizing what I’d plagiarized.
“Follow your bliss” and “Don’t be a carbon copy” continued to be uttered as one liners from the night Katy’s best friend had been drinking and dialing.
Another week passed and still no recognition that the bibliography from my talk was hanging on her wall.
Despite believing in miracles, despite believing in myself, I was done smiling, dancing and singing on the inside so I had to tell Katy that while I had been drinking, I hadn’t been drunk and that if she’d just look over her shoulder, she could read my original thoughts of encouragement.
We finally laughed until we were crying (well we often laugh until we cry, but the tears were finally from following our bliss).
Even though those words of encouragement were in her eyesight every day, she had stopped actually seeing them.
And while I’d love to just make fun of my bestie, I too have missed signs (literally and figurative) that are right in front of me (or hanging behind me).
Make sure you check the writing on your walls. And if all else fails, make sure you have a friend who can just read them to you.