Spending a good ten years of my adult life mostly single gave me plenty of opportunities to take advantage of my friends love and kindness while dealing with the perils of dating. So last night when two friends of mine were both dealing with some kind of heartache I took a lot of pleasure in being able to be there for them (not at all in the pain they were in). Even though I'm now happily in a relationship I'll never forget what it was like to be single and navigate the dating world, going on date after date not finding anyone remotely worth more of my time, finding someone worth more of my time and then not having it work out after a couple/few months, guys only looking for booty calls, guys wanting to cheat on their WAGs (wives and girlfriends) with me, I could go on and on. If using a fish in the sea comparison I had caught and tried all kinds. The starting over was always the hardest. I got asked on many dates but dreaded most of them. Probably not the best attitude. No wonder it took ten years to find someone worthy. So I could relate to my friends' heartache and remembering there really isn't anything magical you can say or do just saying or doing anything, something is what matters. Knowing that at least if that dumb guy or gal doesn't love you your friends do does help in some small way. So I did what any good friend would do and made one of them bike 12 miles with me while I ran it (hey, I'm training for a marathon and it had to be done), then eat pizza and ice cream, and finally meet the other one for a pint. I know it didn't cure their heartache completely but in their own words, "This is a lot better than staying home and moping, which is what I'm going to do." Here are a few other fun things you can do to cheer friends up (no matter the reason they're down):
1. Send/give a card.
2. Bake them something (not that you want to add weight gain to their woes).
3. Take them out dancing or to a museum or something they enjoy.
4. If there's a breakup, help them burn all reminders.
5. Bring over the art supplies and create something(s) together.
Peeps who are always good for a fun cheer up!
What fun things do you do to cheer up a friend/family member?
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