The Muppets Take Lamasco

I've given my fair share of goodbyes over the years. At the end of high school, I don't think I fully realized I wasn't going to see my friends as much anymore. I mean, most of us had been in the exact same place doing the exact same things for nearly 20 years. It was kind of hard to imagine any other way. And I was more than ready to leave town.

By the time I was bidding farewell in college, I knew exactly what I was in for. No more roommates. No more late night runs to Taco Bell or Walmart. We were all moving on to the next phase of our lives which included careers, marriage and children, and didn't include each other. At least not as much.

This weekend, we said goodbye to two of our good friends who are moving to Cincinnati. She's moving up to a bigger market within the company, and he's looking forward to better job opportunities in his field. In the past five years, we've grown pretty close to this couple and shared some great times together. They have family here, so it's not like we'll never see them again. In fact, we have dinner plans in two weeks. But as she tearfully told me Friday night, it will never be the same.

My friend has given me inspiration to consider a life beyond where I am now. It's not that I'm unhappy. Actually, I'm pretty damn content. Which is the problem, I think. Getting too comfortable means not branching out and trying new things. Even if you fail. And what's the fun in that? How do you know what's out there if you don't look around? I could have a life that's ten times more awesome than it is now. But I'll never know unless I try.

At this point, I feel I need to explain the title of this post: The Muppets Take Lamasco. 
Part one: Lamasco. I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it on this blog a time or two, but if you don't know, it's a bar we used to frequent. But since another owner took over (that whole pesky change thing again) it just hasn't been the same. But for the going-away festivities, we decided to try it one more time. And it really did feel like the old days. Everyone had a great time.

Part two: The Muppets. Like any child of the late 70s and early 80s, I grew up watching Kermit, Miss Piggy and the whole gang. In most of their movies, they had to go their separate ways, but they would always come back together for some reason. Like in "The Muppets Take Manhattan". Click on this link and you'll understand. You also might cry: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNfHU748SYQ 

Those crazy puppets give me inspiration, too. Sometimes you choose change, and other times change chooses you. But it's good. It's necessary. And there's always that hope that something will bring you together again. Love you guys.