Suzy and Michael's wedding

    About ten years ago my friend Suzy and I were playing Super Mario on an N64.  The particular part we were playing was not a level, but a secret bonus zone.  In this bonus zone Mario would get a prize if one could manage to successfully maneuver a penguin down an iced race course in a set time. 
    It was tricky.  The penguin had to go fast enough to beat the time, but going faster meant it was harder to steer, and the penguin would fly around a turn and careen off the edge of the course into space.  Midway through playing, for some reason, I turned to Suzy and asked “Do you have a crush on Michael?” to which Suzy responded,  “I don’t want to talk about it!”  So we kept racing the penguin.
    Fast forward ten years to when Suzy and Michael are standing in a pagoda in the middle of Brookside Botanical gardens.  I am slightly off to the side, surrounded by three other bridesmaids.  And as Suzy and Michael, in front of family and friends, exchange vows to love and care for one another their whole lives long, all I can think is ‘you know, we never got that penguin down the course in time.’
    High school is harped upon a lot in American culture.  There are movies about it, books about it, T.V. shows about it.  In exploring these media I’m always struck by one simple fact - none of those representations seem anything like my experience. 
    Nobody in those stories sits around talking about how cool their teachers were.  Nobody in those shows still carries around inside jokes so that people occasionally ask them why they are pretending to be a fish, or an existential block that sits around wondering what forces are acting on it.  No one in those stories still calls up their friends from high school no matter where they/you are in the world, just to check in.  But then, none of those people ever went to H-B Woodlawn.
    People talk about how nice it is to be able to be part of a friend’s wedding.  How wonderful it is to be able to share in this amazing moment of someone’s life.  When everyone in the bridal party knows each other?  Take that factor and double it.  Then you get moments like two bridesmaids whopping a groomsman with their bouquets (he deserved it!) or the groom giving one of the bridesmaids a look that clearly says, ‘I saw you almost trip on that third stair’ or the bride swing-dancing with one of the bridesmaids because a bunch of you took lessons back in seventh grade, and could still sing the song you danced to for the recital from memory - if asked.  It’s an amazing thing to share in a friend’s wedding.  It’s even more amazing if almost everyone involved is someone you don’t feel you could have done without.
    As for Suzy and Michael themselves, I can’t really explain what having Suzy and Michael as friends has meant to me.  They’ve been with me through middle school, through high-school, through college, and have kept in close contact since then.  Always.  Michael is one of the best guys I’ve ever met, he’s kind, he’s easy to get along with, he’ll be there for you if you need him.
    And as for Suzy... Suzy was on my speed dial my entire time in Malawi.  I’m not sure how other volunteers got by without a friend at home they could call when everything was falling apart, because I know I couldn’t have.  Having someone who understands why goldfish can be a main topic of conversation for an hour (and that’s not even touching on the different flavors) that’s incredibly valuable.  Having someone who will listen quietly to you for an hour while you break down about how hard everything is, and how you’re not sure you can continue another day, and feeling at the end of that conversation that maybe you can, and maybe it will all be okay, that’s invaluable.
    When I say I don’t know what I would do without them I’m being completely literal.  I’m so glad our group of friends has Michael and Suzy, and I’m so glad they have each other.  Happy Marriage guys!