Surprise Party

Today was my birthday. I'm not a huge fan of birthdays, especially not my own. Sure there are birthdays that are really important-16, 18, 21-but outside of that birthdays don't really have a whole lot of meaning. They're basically just another day. Perhaps we get a cake out of it. Maybe some clothes from the parents, a few cards, lunch or dinner if you're lucky. But really, it's another day. You can't do anything at 23 that you couldn't do at 22. After 21, all you have to look forward to is 25. At 25 you can rent a car through a major rental car company without paying a huge surcharge. That's gonna be amazing. I'm so fucking excited.

But today, despite all the terrible surrounding circumstances, was great. It rained today. All day. I studied today. All day. There was really nothing good that could come of today. Lunch consisted of a muffin and Diet Coke at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. Around 5:45 PM, my friend (and, on a side note, my ex something or other) Jessica came and got me to take me out to dinner. An IM from my friend Phil led us to the student lounge to meet and figure out where to go before venturing out into the rain. Come to find out, a surprise party had been planned. It was the first surprise party I had ever had and I was shocked. Walking up to the lounge, I was oblivious to the streamers hanging over the corridor leading to the room, and didn't realize the surprise until I saw 10 or so of my closest friends. It sounds lame, but I was incredibly touched by the whole thing. The surpise party didn't consist of booze or music or debauchery or a late night or anything crazy really-just balloons, cupcakes, pizza, and "ES" in Starburst, streamers, and Justice League napkins and party hats. In light of the approaching doom that is finals, it could not have been a better party.

Some nights, when I sit here typing some garbage about how miserable, down, or frustrated I am from this adventure that is law school, I lose sight of some of the most important things. I lose sight of the fact that I'm surrounded by people I've known less than a year that I'd do almost anything for. I lose sight of the fact that, despite the abundance of drama, drunkeness and....drama, we've remainded strong friends. I hope we'll be friends for years to come. There's only a handful of people-maybe 6-that I've stayed strong friends with despite drama and geographic relocations. The drama and the madness rooted in those relationships is what has made those friendships stay true and last through everything. It sounds like some sports or war cliche-but my closest friends and I have usually gone through hell together. Whether that hell has been a fucked up alcoholic-filled apartment above a bar, a restaurant filled with drugs and alcohol, or a law school filled with anxiety, competition and stress doesn't really matter. Life is about the hell you go through and the people you go through it with. Life's about what and who is on the other side of those tough times. Life's about whose either catching you when you fail or celebrating with you when you succeed. And I know I'm gonna need both. Without the tough times, the people don't become who they are to you. Without the hell, the surprise party wouldn't have the same uplifting effect. It'd bring a smile, but it wouldn't bring a huge, goofy "thank god I'm doing something that's not Constitutional law and thank god I have some friends" smile. I'm sure there's some cheezy line about that a more eloquent writer could pull off here, but I'm incapable of doing so. But let's just say it was a pretty great hour. Let's just say it meant more than I can probably explain. Let's just say it's been a tough month or so and that it made everything better. And let's just say, as a final thought on the night, that I really really like my friends.

Lyrics
"Let the golden oldies station crackle and come through
With the final benediction, we'll hum along to
Before we say goodnight."
-The Weakerthans Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call