Friendship Gratitude-Diane
When you think of someone who has been through obstacle after obstacle and overcome all of it, it is Diane. And no matter what life throws at her, she takes it with a grain of salt and good spirits (Maybe some tequila too).
Diane grew up in New York and worked her way up the ranks through Costco. When I first met her, we instantly bonded over our immense love of Costco. In the beginning of her career, she started at the store level. She was working crazy hours in a Costco warehouse location and just got promoted to become an auditor for Costco.
And I can attest, her hours in the warehouse was insane, but her hours as an auditor were just as crazy. She would have to leave for work at 3 or 4 AM, which would make anyone a little grumpy, but never once did Diane complain about the hours. She would joke about her routine and how she woke up every morning, went to 7-11 for a giant coke to keep her awake.
Over the past two years, I have sat back in amazement as I’ve seen how much determination and perseverance she has with everything from work to her love life and now her health. As we spent many life laughing over ridiculous moments in both of our lives, she has taught me so many things.
Diane is someone I aspire to be. Diane’s life has not always been the smoothest ride, but no matter what potholes she has hit, she always has a positive outlook, contagious laugh, and big smile, even on her darkest days she finds something to smile about.
Never has she let her shortcomings stop her from doing anything she sets her mind to. And when you meet her, you would never even remember that she is different in any way.
She is the type of person you would be honored to keep in your circle of friends. If something happened to you, there is no doubt that she would come to the rescue even in the middle of the night as long as you can wake her up.
About a year ago, Diane had to get knee surgery. I watched her struggle between having to lose enough weight to get the surgery and the immense amounts of pain she was suffering, she did it. She got through surgery and physical therapy like a champ.
And as we thought her health was improving, unexpectedly Diane had to be hospitalized for breathing issues, blood clots, and several other issues. She is now on oxygen 24/7, she is always worried for other people. When I tell her something in my life, she tells me poor thing and I tell her, it’s nothing compare to what she’s going through. But I realized, this is Diane, she is hands-down the most selfless person I have ever met.
As she goes from doctor to doctor trying to figure out the next steps for Diane, she never lets it get her down. Even when the doctor has said out loud they don’t know how she is still alive. Before her life was filled with crazy hours at a job she loved, ball games with her love, and traveling all over the nation. In a few weeks, those options are not possible for her anymore.
She cannot work at this point with her condition. Before, she was a ball of energy who could function on a few hours of sleep, unfortunately she gets fatigued much more quickly these days. It makes you appreciate one thing in life, good health. Someone as young as her should not be having issues breathing and blood clots.
If you met her, you would never know her daily struggles except for the oxygen masks she carries. And even then, she has never let that stop her. Yes, she may not be able to do everything as before and she’ll admit she has good days and bad days. Even on her bad days, if you need her, she’ll be there for any of her friends.
I am so blessed to have Diane in my life. She has not only taught me so many lessons, she has been one of the few people who was there all the way through my hot mess stage after my last break-up. She will be the first one to tell you, she is always ready for one of my entertaining stories. And when it comes to fixing things, carrying things, and understanding car problems, she wins. Yes, not only is she smart, funny, and tough, she is a handy-man as well.
But jokes aside, Diane has taught me that any obstacle is possible to overcome. She has taught me to treasure every moment of life as much as possible and even on bad days, there can always be something to smile about, even if it’s a little smile. I have learned how to be more empathetic, more compassionate, and reading signals. There are times when she doesn’t pick up the phone, normally I would just ignore it, but in her case, it triggers me to reach out to her more often to check-up on her.
I hope you all get a chance to meet her, but in the meantime, I hope you can take a second to send a few prayers her way.
Dear Diane,
I hope you know you changed my life in so many ways when I met you. I say this all the time, the world is a much better place with people like you in it. You are the definition of kindness with a New York accent. You are generous to a fault, hence the fighting over paying when we go to dinners. Thank you for loving my crazy self and letting me try to put make-up on you. All I hope is that you get better soon and when you do, we will have a big celebration with Starbucks and ice cream! In the meantime, I want you to know you have me anytime you need me. I am always sending you lots of love, good thoughts, and positive juju to fight through this battle.
XOXO,
Your one and only crazy friend
And remember…
