Appendicitis, Slytherin, and Particle Theory, OR finding common ground
As I wrote on Monday, when you focus on the people in your life who show up when you need them instead of on the ones who don’t, magic starts to happen. All that being said, I really make a point to try and connect with everyone I meet. It can be disappointing when people don’t make the same effort, but that really tends to (more often than not) be rooted in some insecurity they have in their own lives. We all have things we need to work on, so always be kind. Everyone in life has been through tough battles; if we all opened up a little bit more about those things, we’d be able to see how we overcame struggles, and others might gain the courage to overcome their own. Opening up about hard things also creates a lot of room for laughter, which has always been the best medicine for me.
A really funny thing happened at a recent Garage Band practice. I often write that human beings crave connection and community, so it makes me really happy when that connectivity happens - especially when it’s in an otherwise uncommon way. I don’t remember exactly how the conversation came up, but I think it had something to do with Christopher being back in town! Our conversation became a fun little 3-person group game in the greater game of life. Our coach (Zach Reino, check out his show - it's amazing!), my teammate (Christopher Hanke, also amazing!), and I realized that we three all had a very unique shared experience: appendicitis.
What then happened as a result of that discovery was a really fun conversation sharing our appendectomy stories and answering questions for our other teammates who were present: the pain and discomfort we felt that triggered our minds into realizing something was not right, interactions we had with people (mainly nurses) at our respective hospitals, the different types of procedures we had undergone, and our individual recovery processes.
We then found our way into a conversation about Harry Potter (because our teammate Zora Bikangaga did this awesome video about Harry and Hermione!), and Zach and I both discovered we were in Slytherin House (based on Pottermore and multiple other quizzes we’ve both taken). This was huge for me because I don’t know of anyone else who got sorted into Syltherin or, at the very least, of anyone else willing to admit it. When Zach admitted he was in Slytherin, I immediately exlaimed, “I’m Slytherin, too!” because I was so excited. It’s so fun to nerd out with friends, right?
I realized that my story about my appendectomy was pretty traumatizing, but it is part of who I am. Hearing two other people share about having the same condition I had (appendicitis) but incorporating their own individual experiences with it was amazing. Talking about my experience with other people who had been through their own versions of the same thing was not just a bonding experience, it was incredibly fun. It’s been two years since I had my appendix removed, and although there was one especially difficult part of the experience, I’m so glad it happened because it allowed for such a fun, silly bonding moment (and obviously, better health).
I honestly believe that the small things in life are the big things and it is really important to laugh stuff off. I’ve written before that the middle is what matters, and I do believe it’s true. Our universe is relational. Particle Theory states that our universe is made up of tiny particles of matter that are constantly moving. That continuous motion depends on how much energy each particle has in itself and on its relationship to other particles.
The story of my appendectomy is a fun and interesting one in and of itself, but it becomes much more fun when sharing it with people who have gone through a similar experience. That’s the way life is, isn’t it? That’s why we seek communities where people like the same things we do. It’s why the best friendships are built on common interests, and it’s why the best romances are grounded in fun first. Life is hard enough without adding any extra negativity. I hope most people understand that.
When I wrote about pivoting last week, I said that I wanted to write the blog I wished I’d had when I first moved to Los Angeles. So that’s what I’ve been doing. If I had to really think about the most simple concept of the motivation behind why I write this blog, it would be to live intentionally. To me, life is a verb, and it hurts my heart to see people holding back from everything they could be. I really want people to realize that everything that makes them who they are is more than enough. I try to lead by example aka practice what I preach. So I’m sure I’ll share some embarrassing stories or some anecdotes people don’t find funny, but as I also wrote on Monday, haters gonna hate. Don't listen. But if having a bonding experience over shared discoveries of appendicitis and Slytherin isn’t proof that life is supposed to be silly and fun, I really don’t know what is.
Thank you so much for reading, and, as always, if you have any pressing questions or if you want to discuss something further with me, feel free to subscribe below or reach out to me on the “contact” page. I’m so grateful you're here and that I’ve been getting a lot of really challenging questions and even better feedback from a community all over the world. I couldn’t do this without you! So THANK YOU! I’m here for you, and I love hearing from you, too! You’re the best, and you have everything you need inside of you! Please believe it!