It was Saturday night, and my bandmates Lana and Stefan had just picked me up because we were going out to dinner to celebrate my birthday. I admittedly was fine with a low-key weekend because I had been busy all week with assignments, and I needed the weekend to study for a critical Monday exam. I didn't plan anything big for my birthday because of this (and also because it seemed like a bunch of my friends were going to be out of town or otherwise occupied this weekend...), so I was fine enjoying dinner with my favourite guitarist and drummer. At least I thought I was fine with it; I later had a couple different people tell me that I had been mopey during the days leading up to my birthday. Truth told, I had a small compunction about the dinner, feeling like I was a little bit of a charity case for Lana and Stefan.
As we rounded the bend onto the main street that would take us to the new Chinese joint Blue Rice (a terrible name by any measure), Lana informed us that she had forgotten her wallet, and that we would have to stop by her place to pick it up first. This was not unbefitting of Lana's usual character, so I didn't bat an eye at our detour. To sweeten the pot for us, she claimed she had just set up her drum kit in the basement, and naturally we would want to see that shit.
So we all went inside the condo to see the drums. Except the drum kit was very much unassembled, and in its place was a surprise party waiting for yours truly.
At first when I saw the mass of people in front of me, I assumed it was some sort of party that Lana's roommates were having. I guess that's kind of stupid of me to say now, considering I was greeted with a chorus of people yelling surprise when the lights were turned on as I walked in, but trust me, it all happened very fast.
I felt like Shinji at the end of Neon Genesis Evangelion.
I noticed first my friend Allison, who was supposed to be in Toronto this weekend. Then I saw my friend Mark from across the street. The rest happened in a swell, as I simultaneously was hit with the understanding that this was a surprise party for me, and walked through the crowd shaking hands and hugging everyone like the leader of the Free World. People in attendance ranged from old friends to new ones, and no group was omitted. With the exception of a few people who simply couldn't have been there, literally all of my friends were in that room. These are groups that never merge; it was akin to George Costanza describing the Worlds Theory, only instead of an apocalyptic result, it was awesome.
Beyond the organizational miracle of getting all of these people together in one place at the same time (I later learned that this party was weeks in the making), the attention to detail was also impressive. Penguin-shaped crackers (my favourite animal), green balloons (my favourite colour), and a Spider-Man cake (naturally, my favourite superhero) completed the experience. It was an incredible time, and I have my friends Allison, Emily, Stefan and Lana to thank for making it happen.
It's easy to walk through life and feel like you are just going through the motions. You go to school or work, you see people, and you come home. You hang out with friends, but is it just for the companionship of other humans? Does it go beyond that? It sounds cheesy, but this weekend, all of my friends came together to celebrate me; and I have to say, it made me feel pretty special. I guess I'm more than just a body to fill a seat after all. For some reason, these people genuinely appreciate me, and I can't help but feel warm and fuzzy about that.
Thanks to everyone who came out last night.
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