ocean

Last weekend I got to visit Boston and attend a wedding. Actually the groom was a good friend and I was the best man, I’ve never been a best man before. The trip was good but I didn’t get to see much of Boston. The ocean was what I really wanted to see because I’ve never seen it up close but have always wanted to smell it and put my feet in at least, is it really that salty and are there creatures lurking under foot at each step? Well I did get to see it from a distance while flying into the airport. It was green and looked soupy. I wanted it to be blue and clear. My real mission was of course to support my friend on his big day and to hang out before hand at some pub. I hope I did a good job being there and all but I’ve never been a best man and lacking in those skills, not knowing what to do other than what I read on the internet.

The night before the wedding we stayed in his fiance’s house after going out for drinks. I really dropped the ball on making any good plans on where to go so we ended up in two dive bars with a few of his friends from up here in Michigan. The bars close early there too which wasn’t expected but I guess in the end it was for the best. I didn’t wake up with a hangover so I did indulge on the wedding night.

The wedding went really well and I did my part without a problem though I don’t know what could have gone wrong. There’s the chance of fumbling for the rings or tripping I suppose. It was a quick service without any problem and during dinner I even gave a toast. The DJ actually came up to me before the dinner started and informed me that I was in fact going to be called out to give a toast and he asked, “you do have something prepared right?” Of course I did but I also knew it was a sincere yet quickly written one. The words didn’t flow as planned but I did it and a few people told me it was a nice one too. That made me smile to think that it was well received.

During the reception people were dancing and having a great time. I was too but I’m not much of a dancer. Actually I spent a good amount of time outside on the covered porch drinking Guinness. The weather was nice with very few insects too. Once in a while someone would come out and chat for a bit but for the most part I sat, drank and thought.

It’s Funny how a wedding can make you think about life. I thought about my life, my kids and wife too. I thought to myself, “self, how did you end up here?” Hmm.. well I guess I tend to have deep thoughts when I step away for a while especially during an event like the one I was attending. All the armor or band-aids,  and even good sense,  get stripped off and I will think about the way things are. I admit the beer played a role in it too so I’ve learned when I feel that way it’s good to step away for a while and just be quiet.

After the wedding we went back to the hotel where there was more beer and we were loud. I wondered how the hotel could allow us to be loud like that and not say anything. Perhaps it was because they knew we were a wedding party or perhaps that’s just the way the hotel is. After a couple hours it was time to go to bed due to the fact that we had to be up at around 6:30 to turn in the car and get to the airport. I was thankful to have taken a couple aspirin or whatever before bed because I actually woke up feeling just fine.

Getting on the flight I was thinking about how good it would be to get home, see the kids and sleep in my own bed. It wasn’t until I got home that I really started to miss the trip and really started to miss my friend too. He moved to Tennessee a couple years ago so it’s not like I really get to see him more than a few times a year but after the weekend I thought about all the good times we had over the years. All the talks we had and how he struggled with a relationship in the past and we would talk about it. To see him go from that to a situation to where the person he’s with now really loves him. You can see it in her eyes when she looks at him and I even told her so. I think about how lucky he is and wonder if he thinks that too. I admit it’s hard to look at sometimes.