The Shedding Sweater

As I was removing lint from my awesome shrug/bolero style jacket, my mind’s eye went back to a bittersweet time in my life when the Original Hooligans and The Hooligans all lived with me and I worked with my sweet friend “Ageless”.

I’ve decided to name her Ageless for the following reasons:

• In an un-annoying way, she never seems to physically age. She looks beautiful even though years keep passing. They seem to pass her by.
• She is a classic and wonderful dresser! She is always trendy without being inappropriate. 
• Her core values transcend societal norms. She is a great mom and has been together with the same man for more than half her life. Some even dub her “Wonder Woman”. I agree
• No matter how much time passes between our “visits”, she remains a true friend; really more like a sister that lives across the country.

Ageless and I worked together almost ten years ago. We worked in a small office and became good friends. I think she won me over with her exceptional sweet tea and cheese ball. Those were great days…when she brought sweet tea and cheese balls. I was also chunkier. I’m not saying it was her fault or anything but…

We had little traditions like getting sweet tea (for her) and a Diet Coke with lemon and no ice (for me). I also would make smoothies for us from time to time. You should ask her sometime about the infamous “wheat germ” smoothie. That was something. I digress though.

Ageless listened to me throughout some of the worst years of my life. She listened more than she offered opinions although I know sometimes she wished she could shake some sense into me to take control of those things that I could control. Still, she always showed love and understanding, even when she wanted to intervene violently on my behalf.

I specifically remember the time that my home was robbed. It was a very curious event. The “robber(s)” entered with a key and only took all of my belongings including all my clothes, makeup, and those feminine products that are advertised with women only wearing white clothes. The “robber(s)” also took my journals that I had since I was a teenager which were hidden behind several other books. It was an interesting robbery. The police were pretty sure they knew who burglarized my home since none of the children’s belongings were taken, but could never prove it. Somehow, some things are never this person’s fault!

The next day, I went to work with the same exact clothes I had on the day before. Now, I am not a spiffy dresser like Ageless but she knew something was wrong. I shared my tale of nakedness and such and I could tell she once again wanted to intervene violently on my behalf. She is the kind of friend that suffers with you. She’s precious. Somewhere along the way, another coworker ran out and bought me a black sweater. It was lovely except for one thing – it shed a lot. For the next few days, I wore this sweater and left a trail of little black lint balls everywhere I went in the office. Thankfully for the vacuum cleaner, the insurance check came in and I could replace my clothes. Guess who agreed to go with me to the mall? Of course Ageless did! I think she did a better job than Stacey and Clinton on “What Not to Wear”.

It meant so much to me that she would take the time to do this for and with me. During this rough patch, her support and compassion helped me shed more than just that sweater. She helped me shed some negative thoughts and she helped me shed light on the person I really am. She even helped me shed my circumstances and take charge of the things I can control.

I can honestly attribute some of the successes I’ve enjoyed to her support and friendship. She helped me shed my shell of insecurity and embrace new ways to view and display myself without leaving a trail of little black anything behind.