365 Days of Impacts

(March 30th Post) So March 30 is the birthday of one of my closest friends, Jill Golod. In college, we ran in the same circles of friends but I did not become close friends with her until right out of college. We've known each other for 30+ years. This is a pic of me/Jill and friends during the time that she helped me out when I was at Moxie. We used to call her "Jill the Jew". This was a college nickname. There was also a Sue the Jew. Yes, she is Jewish, and I credit her with teaching me the most about the jewish religion, holidays and culture. But that is not what makes Jill a great impact on my life. Jill taught me what a mensch is. That is because she is one. Jill is the type of friend that you can count on in your worst of times. She just seems to show up in support at the most opportune times. My best story about Jill is that when I was at Moxie the first time, I was working CRAZY hours to the point where it was causing me mental stress that was affecting m...

MAY 10. Today I celebrate Katie Murphy for being a huge impact on my life. I met Katie through my cousin's wife. They were best friends and Katie and I were in the wedding party. It was a catholic wedding. We high fived on the "stage" when the priest annouced 'I now pronounce you man and wife'. I call her my evile twin and jokingly always say she is the evile one. I don't even know what year that was, but it was one of the best days in my life adding her as a friend. Katie and I have been great friends ever since through thick and thin. She throws a huge Easter party every year - and she has 11 total siblings, so the family could just show up and you'd have a party - but no less than 100 people are there every year. Her family is one of the most incredible family ecosystems that I have ever known. That many siblings, her parents, although divorced can be around each other with no drama which is amazing in today's day and age. She and I witn...

Depression is something that most people have an awareness of. If not personally having experience with it, they have a family member that has suffered from this in some form. More than just a bout of the blues, depression isn't a weakness and you can't simply "snap out" of it. Depression is a mood disorder and people who have never experienced it likely get frustrated with those who deal with it on a regular basis. Much like breaking a bone, if you've never experienced it, you cannot relate to what it is like to have it. Even worse, it does not manifest outwardly like a rash and most of the time, people withdraw. All of a sudden you are like - 'what happened to so and so? I haven't seen them in a while'. I have many family members and friends who have had intermittent bouts with depression. Obviously my 365 impacts are highlighting just how many of my loved ones that I've lost have suffered in this way.  Depression is my next impact. I c...

When I was 19, I worked with a beautiful girl named Lisa Gunn. We were lifeguards together for my first summer back from college and we worked almost every day together. We went to separate high schools, and different colleges but we got along great. I went to USC and her to Michigan State. She was a daughter, a sister and a great friend. Lisa was the kind of person that you wished you could be like because she was popular, well liked and she was amazing at everything. She was incredible at almost any sport. On top of this, Lisa was an academic whiz. Class Valedictorian, her grades were all As in high school, and she didn't drink or do drugs. She pretty much was perfect and on track to have an incredible life. But the pressure of everything had gotten to her. She had a close call her freshman year in college and was almost successful at taking her own life. She could not function, however everyone within her close sphere - family and friends - were not able to see the ...

Freshman year of college, while working at the student newspaper - THE GAMECOCK - I met someone who at the time, I did not know would become a lifelong friend. He worked in production back before computers ruled the editorial space - cutting and pasting up the daily read for our fellow gamecocks using "stat" paper and wax. I worked taking classified ads. Edwin (I'm the only one he lets call him that) Schwambliss was an instigator - he and I got in trouble for sucking helium and saying in munchkin voices "follow the yellow brick road" during work hours at the Gamecock. For the next 4.5 years, Ed and I would take advertising courses together, ride home from school to/through Atlanta singing loudly to Led Zeppelin, rolling the windows down and screaming "share it with the trees" on the way home. Many a late night at Group Therapy with Ed (and Shrews) dot my memory of good times - eating pizza we had bought with our meal cards for the late night munchi...