Thursday, March 3, 2011

Get out! It could change your life.

Okay, first--I totally suck.  I haven't started my 30-day Buns of Steel challenge yet.  Yes, I'm busy, but that's no excuse.  I suck.  But I will do it.

Did you happen to see Ellen yesterday?  Matt Damon was on, talking about the time he was filming in Miami and some guys were going out on the town.  He didn't really feel up to it, but went anyway.  It's a good thing he did--one of the bartenders became his wife, and they now have a happy life together with four kids.  He felt fate played a role in their meeting.  The moral of the story, he said, was, "Go out to the bar!"

If you read Bastard Husband, you know we met when I was travelling for business and I decided to check out the hotel lounge instead of ordering room service. Had I cocooned it that night, my entire life would look differently today.  Maybe better, maybe worse--who knows.  But it definitely would not look like it does now.  Without B.H. there'd be no book, that's for sure.  Would I have eventually become a writer?  Maybe; I'd dabbled a bit and have been a technical writer for two decades now.  Would I have gotten into performing stand-up?  Doubtful.  Would I have ended up in Las Vegas?  I can't imagine how.

I met my first husband, Chris, in a bar in Albany--the Last Chance Saloon of all places.  He was a friend of a friend, and actually, I'd met him briefly before at a party.  Chances are had I not gone out with my girlfriends that night I would have connected with him eventually.  I met Mike at a meeting of the Henderson Writers' Group.  At the time I was the vice president and attended nearly every meeting.  Had Mike not showed up at that one, he probably would have made it to another meeting and I'd have met him sooner or later.  But had I not ventured down to the lounge in the Buffalo Marriott that night almost 11 years ago, I probably never would have crossed paths with B.H.  It's freaky to think that a seemingly inconsequential decision would, in fact, have such a profound impact on the course of my life. 

How about you?  How is your life entirely different because you decided against staying in?  Are you glad you did?

7 comments:

Emmas_Gold said...

I had plans to visit (of all places) a llama farm! That morning, I got some bad news that almost kept me at home. But, I told myself "f*** it, I'm going anyway." And I am so glad it did. Long story short, because of that decision to visit the farm, I eventually met the love of my life. No, not a llama (although they are uber-cool!), but a real person who I recently celebrated one year of bliss with! Yee haw!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, you met BOTH of your EX HUSBANDS IN A BAR! Gee, why oh why did things not work out????
So sad that you can't come up with anything creative to fill a book if it doesn't involve bashing the current male in your life.

After two failed marriages, the question remains:
A. You make poor decisions.
B. You are a lousy wife.

Or a combination of the two, perhaps???

Vegas Linda Lou said...

Laura/Cory--

How do you guys like Burbank?

gayle said...

Wish I had something fun or interesting to say but don't........I need to get out more!!

Anonymous ~ please keep negetive comments to yourself!!

Julie D said...

Hahahaha, I love your pissy Anonymous commenter. Funny stuff.

Michael and I got back together in a bar! He was doing a stand up gig a few blocks from my house and convinced me to come over and see him. We'd been talking over Facebook since our perspective breakups with others, but I'd held off actually meeting up with him again. I almost cancelled that night, I was tired and didn't feel like going out, but something convinced me to fluff the hair and spackle the face, and off I went.

And we haven't been apart since. :)

Yay for (good) life changing bar events.

Oh, and Anonymous? I met my son's father in a bar, and I consider that the best decision of my life.

Debbie said...

First of all, you don't suck. Buns of Steel? Please ... I admire you. I hate doing anything that makes me sweat. However, the "what ifs" of life are almost scary to me. You must rent "Sliding Doors" with Gwyneth Paltrow. It is all about the possibilities in life, or what if I turned left instead of right? What if I'd called in sick instead of going to work .... it's all too much.

LOVED THE POST!

XOXO
Deb

Det11 said...

Bars and lifelong (or at least the intention) friends, or lovers, go hand in hand in this world. Why else would it be such a common business throughout the world? I mean, think about the types of businesses in all the foreign cultures of the world, and bars are probably at the top of the list! For the best or worst of it, its a fact we like to meet each other in bars. heh.