Don’t Feel Bad For Me.

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You are never going to believe what happened the other night…you are not going to believe who we ran into and what I learned.  Stick with me on this…it’s a good one!

So the other day my husband and I decided to go out for a night on the town…it sure had been a while.  We met up with my brother and one of his best friends.  It was a night of relaxing, playing darts, listening to good jukebox music (as long as I was in charge), and just laughing the night away.  Then we decided to head to a small, off-the-wall bar called Paul’s Tavern.  It’s a local attraction that is best described by calling it a “taxidermist’s dream come true” while also being known for having some of the best burgers in town.  It really is a pretty unique place to hang out with its own cool style.

As we were sitting at Paul’s Tavern doing our thing, with an empty bar surrounding us, in walks Jim Belushi & the Board of Comedy stars!  We couldn’t believe it!  At this point, my brother and his friend immediately jump up and run to Mr. Belushi asking for a picture and striking up a conversation with him.  My husband and I didn’t want to overwhelm the star, so we decided to just hang back for a while.  We were feeling awkward and didn’t know what to do next.  So we did nothing and just let those two do all of the talking and picture takings for us.  

But the bad part of staying in the background:  It means that we still didn’t have our own picture with him as we just didn’t have the nerve to ask.  It’s hard to be that bold when you meet a celebrity.  Yet when you see a famous person, it’s the only thing you ever really want, right?  We all want camera proof of those encounters!

As the evening wore on, my husband couldn’t let it go.  He wanted nothing more than to just “get that picture”.  And I was too nervous to ask even though I am the extrovert in our relationship.   But then finally by the end of the night, my husband worked up the nerve to just do it already, and so he caught up with Mr. Belushi as he was heading back from the restroom.  And as he politely asked this star for a picture with us, I couldn’t help but tell Mr. Belushi these next words, “Gosh, I just feel bad for you.”

Now why would I feel bad for somebody like Jim Belushi or anyone famous for that matter.  Let me tell you what was running through my mind in that moment.  I was thinking how Mr. Belushi probably never gets a rest from the public eye.  I thought maybe he just wanted to enjoy his drink and conversation with his friends.  Or maybe he wanted some time to sit back, relax, and take the night in after a recent performance.  But of course, us fans never seem to give him rest.  I was guessing that all of this had to be exhausting for him.  So yes, I felt bad for him…assuming these thoughts were probably running through his head right then and there.  

But then something happened that I will never forget.  At that exact moment, and after I just got done saying those words to him, Mr. Belushi stopped us from taking that one picture we so desperately wanted.  He then looked over at me, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Please, don’t feel bad for me.  I have more wealth than I need.  I am famous and so people really like to meet me.  And sometimes, they even want to take a picture with me.  I have it pretty good in life.  So don’t ever feel bad for me.”  

I realized a couple of things in that moment:  #1 – Not only is Mr. Belushi a very kind and humble soul by realizing and admitting he has had what some would call the “lucky” card in life, but he also so clearly never takes this life for granted.  Not even as he finished taking that picture with a couple of his fans in small town Dubuque, Iowa.  And #2 – those words he just shared with me, well it ended up changing me for the better.  

And I hope you too will be as moved as I was.

Because here is what I learned from this one exciting yet simple experience in life.  This is what I learned from Mr. Jim Belushi…

As I started to reflect on my own life, I realized that while I might not have his kind of wealth, I have so much to be thankful for.  Looking around at this world today, especially thinking of those poor souls in Ukraine, I see so clearly what many others out there are going through.  And when I look at the way I live, the way we all live…well I too would have to say that I am pretty darn wealthy…we are all very wealthy to live the American life that we do.  

And sure, I am not famous nor do I have random strangers come up to me at off-the-wall bars to take a picture with me.  But when I do look at the wonderful people in my life, and when I reflect on all of the good people who exist all around me…well then, I must admit…I really am ‘famous’… to them.  And actually, they too are ‘famous’ to me!  Why?  Because when we are together I do get excited to see them, and they are just as happy to see me.  When we spend time with one another, it’s one of those simple yet exciting experiences in life that we get to enjoy together.  And we certainly try to remember to snap those photos with each other every chance we get because we desperately want to remember those special moments too.  So in our own right, we are all ‘famous’…when it comes to how we are viewed by those amazing people we have in our own life.

So in that moment with Mr. Belushi, I realized that I too got the “lucky” card in life.  And guess what?  So did you!  It’s just a matter of taking a moment to pause and to just look around and really see what you have been given on this journey…what we all have been given in this life.

So Mr. Belushi, I just have to tell you that you are right.  You do have a pretty good life.  And while I don’t have the fame and fortune that you so humbly and graciously accept, I still also have it pretty good.  I too really am one of the lucky ones in life.  Thank you for that reminder.  And if we ever cross paths again, maybe in another off-the-wall bar someday, just remember this…I won’t feel bad for you anymore and please…don’t ever feel bad for me either…

Xoxo

Marsha

*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com.  Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!