Start Gettin' Excited!

I have a friend

Ok, ok, yes, I have lots of friends, but I'm going to be talking about one in particular. Sheesh, you are as bad as the German judge. (For those of you just tuning in, the German judge is a running guest star on my blog... along with my British GPS. His first appearance was April 27, 2011. If you want to read more references, just type "German" in that fancy little search bar up there... We now conclude this issue of pop-up blogging.)

Anyway, since this friend of mine doesn't know I'm talking about him in a blog, I'm changing his name lest he be upset that I've name-dropped him all over the internet. (You know, since my blog is picked up in so many places that it could be a huge hassel.) ;) Anyway, my friend henceforth shall be referred to as Declan, because (as we've previously discussed) this is my favorite nom du jour and because typing "my friend" could get both confusing and awkward in phrasing.

So anyway, Declan and I are friends but we don't know each other super well. There are a couple of reasons for that: 1) There just hasn't been that much time to get to know each other- We met during class this semester (he is one of the people in my writing group) and 2) It's kinda difficult to get him to talk about himself much.

But let me tell you the thing about Declan that has inspired me to write a blog tonight.  He has the most genuine and boundless enthusiasm I've ever seen and he isn't afraid to show it. It's both charmingly winning and completely refreshing. And the thing is, he is not just enthusiastic about himself and his goals, he's enthusiastic about *others.* I've never met anyone who is so excited about other people's successes and achievements without a hint of jealousy or comparison to himself.

Let me give you a few examples of what I mean. After I showed him the commercial for the Moshi Monster game he not only asked to watch it a second time, but called over classmates to watch it, too. I've heard him refer to himself as "giddy" no fewer than three times when referencing his excitement about various things. And today- we were texting back and forth about an upcoming submission deadline to a journal the MSU English dept. puts out (The Moon City Review.) He asked me about cover letters and I sent him mine as an example with the caveat that I hadn't edited them yet, so they were still a little rough. He responded with a text saying, "Your cover letter is amazing. I would publish it in the Moon City Review. :p" -When homeboy gives a compliment he *gives a compliment.* There is no tempering it with concern about how it will make him look. And thus my blog this evening.

Somewhere in middle school or Jr. High they get us to drink this Kool-Aid. It's the Kool-Aid that tells us it isn't cool to exhibit excitement. That you should be low key to fit in, that people who get giddy are annoying, that "whatever" is an acceptable and preferred attitude, and that ebullience (especially for people outside of our immediate family circle) needs to be quashed. I don't know if Declan was absent the day they handed out the Kool-Aid, he thought it was that weird fluoride rinse and just swished it around his mouth and spit it out, or if he just somehow overcame it and found a way to make it work for him. But work for him it does.

There wasn't a person in the class who didn't have positive feelings for Declan by the time the semester ended. I saw over and over someone bask in the unexpected glow of Declan (who didn't have any stake at all in their life) being thrilled by some personal progress they'd made, writing idea they had, or great edit they'd done. And having been the recipient of some of those moments of exuberance myself, I can tell you it's heady stuff... and I'll be darned if it doesn't make me want Declan to succeed, too. I know that isn't his goal at all- in fact I have my doubts as to whether or not he's even aware of what he's doing. He's just being himself. He is genuinely excited and lets it be known.

I've had a lot of people ask me why I stopped teaching high school over the years. Always somewhere in my answer I mention that I don't deal well with apathy- which is just rampant in high schools. Declan is like an antidote for apathy- it turns out excitement actually is contagious!  And pondering all this tonight made me realize some things:

1) I really don't like apathy. All of my closest friends are people who get excited about stuff. Sometimes that takes place in the form of passionate debate, sometimes it takes place in the form of great compliments and sudden busts of temper, sometimes it is more subtle and take form in the willingness to talk a subject into the ground without getting tired of it.

2) I drank the Kool-Aid and very rarely openly display my excitement about things, because I seem to lack the self confidence to be ok if I'm the only person in the world who feels this way- even though I rationally know that can't possibly be the case.

3) On the rare occasions when I do openly let it be known that I'm really excited about spending time with a person, or that I think they are just great, or that I miss them, I've never encountered a negative response. - Imagine that! When you tell someone you think they are the shizzle they like it!

So it all makes me think Declan is really on to something, and I want to be more like him. I want to catch some of his excitement. I'm surrounded by hundreds of amazing people everyday, and I really do care about them... it's time I started letting *them* know that I care.

I better start getting excited!