I woke up this morning thinking about one of my favorite St. Patrick’s Days. It was when I lived in Santa Monica and it was a Saturday. My friends Julie and Andrea and I batted around a few ideas on how to spend the day and we ultimately resigned to doing some day drinking at an Irish bar. I think we had some conversation like, “Why fight it? Everyone ELSE is out drinking at a bar, so why not us?”
Weekend day drinking wasn’t really a stretch for me back in those days. I lived in a pretty day drinking friendly location in Santa Monica – right on the beach, a block from Main Street (not the Promenade…MAIN Street), and I could walk to at least 8 bars. I ran around with some very fun day drinkers, and when you live in Santa Monica and there are bars everywhere including ones right on the beach serving big drafts of hefferveisen with a lemon in it and you can walk there on a Sunday and sit in the sun….well…you know who you are and man, those were some good days!
I believe we picked that particular pub that particular St. Paddy’s afternoon (for the record it WAS after NOON) because the line wasn’t too long. We went inside and it was mobbed: people laughing, Irish music playing, that beer smell…I’m sure some of you out there know what I’m talking about.
We were just getting the lay of the land when a hot guy with amazing blue eyes came up to me and kissed me – and no, I wasn’t wearing one of those silly buttons that say, “Kiss Me I’m Irish.” He kissed me quickly on the lips and cheerily said, “Hi! I’m Dr. Bob and I think you need a beer!…I’ll be right back!” Even I, the queen of “you can’t make this stuff up,” was a bit skeptical of this one. Yeah, right…like he was REALLY coming back with a beer. And – wait, did he just kiss me?
He came back. Cute guy and he really was a doctor. A cancer researcher – like a PhD, not an MD. We dated for a couple of months – he was adorable and he sure was fun. He broke up with me on a post it note just like that writer guy did to Carrie on Sex In The City. That’s ok…I don’t even remember what that note said, but I DO remember how I felt that St. Patrick’s Day. That was awesome.
Maybe the Irish are lucky because they take chances. You don’t have to go and kiss a stranger like Dr. Bob did, but if you get the opportunity to surprise and delight someone today, do it! And if the world brings something crazy and out of the blue to you today, give it a chance. What the hell, life is short.
I smile every time I think about that kiss and that beer and that St. Patrick’s Day. Thanks for bringing me some joy, Dr. Bob! – wherever you are, you rock. Now, can you just find a cure for cancer?
Cheers and here’s to getting lucky…
Joy
