I have a friend who is probably among the most chipper people I've ever met in my life. I'm not talking about the kind of person who is optimistic. I'm an optimist. I'm not talking about the kind of person who is easily entertained, for that, too, applies to me. I mean in truth and soberness I have never seen this person ever EVER not smiling. Even telling stories about getting traffic tickets and crying about it, or being tickled until she peed by her younger brother, this girl is HAPPY. As a freshman in high school a friend of my hypothesized that you could literally smack this girl in the face and she'd still be laughing.
This girl is one of a very small handful of girls who have ever asked me on a date. It was a Sadie Hawkins dance, and it was casual and fun. The group of girls had planned dinner, and games and we spent all evening leading up to the dance at a park. The girls bought T-Shirts that we designed together. Because of this there is a red shirt somewhere in the world that says, "I guess I'm just not as cool as Scott Savage."
Anyway, the main event of this blog took place during a game of kickball. The girls brought one of those huge 36" in diameter kickballs that was huge and really difficult to throw, or really kick for any good distance. Their strategy was to have any of the girls that weren't kicking the ball or running bases to come out and interfere with us. It was fun and cute because, hey, who doesn't like a bunch of girls running at you trying to touch you, right?
I was the pitcher in our little game for reasons that I hope weren't that I'm hopelessly unathletic. After a couple of innings, there were runners on first and third, with one out. I pitched the ball and a girl that wasn't my date gave a decent kick right down the third base line. It slow hopped, but stayed fair. I ran as fast as I could, which, admittedly is not very fast, towards the ball. Just as it was within my grasp, I felt something smash hard against the side of my head.
Then it went black.
The next thing I remember everyone had gathered around me and was checking to make sure I was ok. I asked what had happened as a couple people helped me get slowly to my feed. Someone said that my date had run face first into the side of my head, and that she was bleeding pretty bad. I went over to see how she was, and it didn't look good. From her nose, clear down her chin and in her mouth was a pretty decent amount of blood. Not only was I convinced I had broken her nose, I thought it was probable that there was at least one missing tooth.
But guess what she was doing.
Laughing.
No, my friend DIDN'T have missing teeth. The blood was in her mouth because she was laughing so hard, and smiling so much.We finished out the date, even though I may have been mildly concussed, and she certainly had had better days. It was a good thing our shirts were red.
It's amazing to me that pretty much nothing gets this person down. She chooses how to respond. She is the master of her emotions, and she's controlled them in an EXCELLENT fashion.
It can also be said that this is the same girl who got hit by a truck when she was a pedestrian (hit so hard that there was a Chipper Chica shaped impression in the side of the truck), and got up and was laughing about it. It might also be healthy to mention that the EMTs thought she had suffered a head injury on that occasion, but she hadn't. She just laughed it off.
The Lesson, as always: Laughter is the VERY best medicine. Oh, and my friend? He was right. She laughs even when smacked in the face.
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