The other day, a friend of mine, LL, was in a bad/sad mood so I told her I had just the cure to cheer her up. No it wasn't alcohol, silly. She had taken care of that part already herself. It was the video montage from my Bat Mitzvah. That's right folks, I thought I would make my friend feel better by having her watch me at one of the most embarrassing and ugly stages of my life: middle school. And not just middle school. She was going to bare witness to the day, according to Judaism, where I became a woman. So why would this make her feel better you ask? Because she has only known me for 2 years, and although we are super close, she only knows the stunning, awesome, hilarious "me" of today, not 13-year old me awkward me with bangs, a long french braid, and a Neiman Marcus suit. (I refuse to post a picture!) I thought this would make her laugh and bring a much-needed smile to her face. And I succeeded. Yes!
I myself had not seen this montage in a very long time. My mom just had a bunch of our family VHS tapes put on DVD so when I was home this summer, she gave me a copy of this DVD. I knew it would come in handy some day. By 30 seconds into the video, LL was smiling and laughing. At me. This was the whole point. She laughed at my bangs which were a big poofy mess. She watched my friends and I doing all the typical Bar and Bat Mitzvah choreographed dances, a congo line, snowballs, and even the hora (which even though she is not Jewish, insists she will have at her wedding.) LL didn't know what a "snowball" was, which I then had to explain to her. (If you don't know what a "snowball" or even a "champagne snowball" is, it's a slow dance where one couple starts in the middle of a circle and they slow dance. The DJ then announces "snowball" or "champagne snowball" and the couple either hugs (regular) or kisses each other on the cheek (champagne), and finds a new partner to slow dance with. This goes on until the song ends or everyone has a partner.) LL pointed out how risqué this was for middle schoolers but found her reaction to be humorous . I didn't think it looked risqué now, nor did I at the time. My parents or friends of my parents were at almost all the Bar or Bat Mitzvahs I went to anyway, so nothing scandalous ever went down. LL also commented on my choice of slow dance partners which brought back many memories of my middle school crushes and made me of think where they are today. Thanks Facebook. (In case you are wondering, my major middle school love interest is now happily married. Figures.)
As LL watched me boogie down to the Electric Slide she observed how I loved to dance even back then. My Bat Mitzvah was such a "dancy" one with all the cliché Bar and Bat Mitzvah songs that I still love today. But here was the kicker, the observation of the evening from LL that really cheered her up: she told me I looked like a young Hilary Clinton in my outfit. And let me clarify, this is strictly because of the suit I was made to wear. Nothing more. But at this point we were both laughing so hard, it was hard to catch our breath. She was right; that suit was ridiculous. It was a black skirt, with black camisole, and an ivory jacket with a black and gold collar. What had my mother made me wear? I specifically remember many arguments over that suit. It was very sophisticated, but I had wanted to wear a dress. She wanted me to in a suit since it was an afternoon party. A suit. Ew. At the time I hated it. Looking back at it now, I still hate it. I cringe looking at myself at 13, but at least I can look back at it now and laugh. Which is a good thing I guess. (But no surprise I didn't have a boyfriend then either.)
When she left my apartment, LL was in a much better mood than when she entered. Mission accomplished. Right before she left, LL spotted the picture on my bedroom wall of my family on the day of my Bat Mitzvah and laughed again. It was then, that I promised her that whenever she is down again, I will take a picture of that picture and text it to her. It is guaranteed to make her giggle and make her feel better. Every little bit helps. And LL, the next time I am down, I expect nothing less than us making fun of pictures/videos of you in middle school. Just sayin'.
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