Cast.

I told Matt's Stepmother in a letter, Matt is my everyday champion. 

Matt is not only good at the big things, he is good at the little things, too.  He confessed in conversation once he really dislikes the little things, the chore-like ones.  Sometimes, I really dislike asking him to do those kind of things, but I try my best not to bring attention to the reality I am asking him and just ask him.  I am taking it even a step further to consciously debate with myself whether or not I can remember to do the chore myself in a moment or to wait til the show he is watching is over or an ad plays.  

Matt is an avid football fan, but he has slowly lost interest in the televised sport since it has taken the nature of a political platform.  That has been a real gain for me.  I have attempted to understand the rules of the sport and follow the ball to enjoy it with him, and there are a few reasons, but I think I have gotten to the real core of why I have not yet grasped it - I have not yet grasped how athletes are lauded and get paid millions for entertainment and teachers get paid pennies.  

Matt and I have debated on this topic before.  His argument is basically a descriptive, "It is what it is."  I feel, though, when we last debated about it, I must have said something I have never said before because Matt smiled back at me - the kind of smile like he was proud of me.  And that was enough to make me forget about everything I said before.  I wish we had a tape recorder.  

I smiled to myself when he said he dislikes the little things because I already knew that.  I knew that because he does them quietly and without a smile.  That's one of the ways I count about Matt - he hardly complains.  He just GETS SHIT DONE!  #gsd 

I have always tried my very best since our friendship began to pay attention to the little things he does on his own accord because for a bulk of his courtship, we were long distance.  Being long distance was a big enough thing in and of itself, it kind of forces you to pay attention to the little things because that's what really bridges the gap.  

Before we became friends, I feel he always knew he did not have to try very hard in that relationship.  And for what I already know about myself, I deeply appreciate who Matt is because 1) in his own way, he acknowledged he understood minimal effort required on his part yet 2) he wasted no effort.  That feels like effortless balance. #lifefriend

While he is good at the big things that require manpower and yield more tangible results, I feel I am good at big things, too.  They are more figment in nature, though - I feel like I have a slight edge.  To make the little things more fun, we have a list we keep in our memory bank of "Who Made It Up?"  I think we are pretty equal.  For example, this year I made up a song in which I sing to God what I am grateful for that Matt did.  Matt knows the words and melody and will sing it, too.  So this is me documenting I made that up so he doesn't claim it as his own.  That happens from time to time after an item has been on the list for a few years.  It gets blurry, and we debate who The Originator of an item really is. 

I think creating an imaginary-real list for the little things is one of those big things I have done.  One, because after 18 years of knowing the other, we refer to that list randomly and it always makes us appreciate the other in that moment.  

Gratitude is so huge I often describe it as being more than a feeling.  More than a feeling to me is a state of being.  

I like President Trump.  

I was once asked, "Why do you loveTrump?" 

I really did not care for that question.  Because 1) I have never professed my love for President Trump.  2) I have never disclosed my political preference and if I did, I certainly wouldn’t to the degree someone could form an  assumption like that as a question AT me. 3) The undertone of the approach felt bold and dramatic - superficial and inflammatory.  I answered this person's question as if I was asked in a respect I would have hoped from that person as I had classes with her day in and day out for two years - that hope went something in my head like, "In what ways do you appreciate our President?"      

I do hope President Trump is victorious again.  I appreciate his conviction, namely his ability to press on in the midst of his faults- I like how present he is in the moment.  Matt said he likes President Trump for politics because he isn't a politician.  He is not polished.  There’s no rhetoric in his speech. He breaks the mold of a President as far as I am used to.  

I asked myself how I felt President Trump was meant to be today after remembering a conversation my dad and I had in the spring.  We both agreed, he was the right man at the right time for the job God knew had to be done.  

This is how I feel President Trump was and is meant to be - he has taken the job of Commander and Chief of The United States of America so seriously, with it, he has evolved as a human being in front of our eyes.  He has not changed, but he has definitely evolved.  

That is a little thing in the grand scheme of things that is a very big thing.  I hear something from it.  I hear how gracious he is that America believes in him as he does himself.  He may not be good with words, but he is good at action, and I will always appreciate action versus words.  In my book, words are nothing without action UNLESS words are spoken or written in a way I have never encountered before.  Then that gets me, even if there’s no action required.  

I had to put in greater effort than necessary this election to cast my vote, and even though I was not in the mood for a good fight, I cannot resist one.  

I have encountered some struggles in maintaining my goal of praying The Rosary daily, but it felt good to hear my grandma say she encounters the same.  I did pray The Holy Rosary with the same intention last night and will pray it again with the same intention tonight, and that is - God's will be done. 

 

I took this photo during a visit to The START Center June 2019.  I really liked what that burlap had to say because it is the truth!