Johnny toward the end of the two-hour
(yes! TWO-HOUR!) Russian fan meeting in St. Petersburg.
His smile radiates the sheer joy of sharing the love
with his fans--and that just makes me smile.
Photo courtesy of Tatiana Edrenkina,
whose AWESOME photo album--which she will be updating soon
with YET MORE fabulous pics--can be found on Facebook.
From Tatiana: Johnny explains to his fans
that he doesn't get to visit his adorable dog, Vanya,
very often, but his mom keeps him updated with emails and pics
of Vanya--whose ears, as Johnny demonstrates here,
Thank you again, Tanya,
for sharing your gorgeous photos!
I LOVE these photos!
And that reminds me.
Recently I noticed I've been using the word "love" a LOT, to describe how I feel about everything from my family to Johnny to the weather to brilliantly funny tweets to Starbucks to Saturdays to the food at the Mexican restaurant on 14th Avenue (OMG I LOVE their steak burritos).
My daughter tries a new hairstyle or nail color, and I exclaim, "Oooo, I love it!"
My son cracks me up with the latest deadpan hilarity from Know Your Meme, and I burst out, "I love that!"
One of our kitties comes to knead all over me and then curl up in my lap while I'm working, and I absently think, "I love this cat."
Someone posts something witty or thoughtful or ridiculously random on Facebook, and I'm so struck by whatever they said that I post back just this: "LOVE."
And then I remembered something.
Some years ago during my personal Dark Ages in Churchianity, I heard this sermon that I had forgotten about until recently, but apparently it's been wedged in my subconscious all this time, just couching furtively there, scurrying unseen to gnaw at random bits of joy that I drop here and there as I careen through my days.
The pastor's point was to deride exactly what I've been doing.
"People use 'love' so off-handedly, to exclaim over so many casual, even ridiculous things," he scolded. "In fact, they overuse it. And by doing so, they completely devalue its meaning.
"'Love' should be used very sparingly," he frowned as he continued. "There are very few things in life that are worthy of love. You might like that book, that song, that pizza--but that's not love. Real love costs dearly. And if you just give it away to everyone and everything, you won't have any left for what really matters."
I took it all in, nodding dutifully. My natural inclination is to be joyous and bouncy and full of--love. So I felt ashamed for the unbridled love that I'd been tossing about and sharing so ... freely.
Clearly I had been doing that--and so many other things--all wrong.
Now, some years later, I'm reviewing his math there and I'm thinking: I wonder if he was a USFS judge in his spare time?
This last year has been revelation after revelation for me, in big and small things--all of it wonderfully freeing.
And as I've discarded piece after piece of ill-fitting, misguided philosophies meant to shame and constrict and punish, I noticed I've been using "love" again more and more and more.
Because damn it, that's how I feel.
Yes, I love my family, and our life--and our house, and our cats, and our clutter, and our pizza. Also my overalls.
And I don't want to be half-hearted about any of it, measuring out love ever so carefully, fearing that I'll run out before I get to the next thing and realize, oh, I should have saved some love for this.
I LOVE everything I've learned this year. I LOVE the people I've met, the fandom we share, the confidences we've entrusted to each other, the projects we've worked on, the pain and the poignancy and the power of our experience.
And I LOVE the man who has brought us all together--a hugely diverse, sometimes fractious, maybe even a little batshit crazy at times group--united in ... love.
Each subgroup of fans--the Russians, the Japanese, the Chinese, the Koreans, the Americans, everybody--offers Johnny love in their unique way. And he loves each group back for who they are. So much love, to strengthen and nurture and sustain him. And us.
Love isn't diminished when you give it away. It multiplies, over and over and over. The more you love, the more love is returned to you a thousand times over.
Because love is infinite.
And all you have to do is look at the photos and videos from Russia this week to know how beautifully true that is.
So last weekend I went shopping with my daughter, and a small bracelet caught my eye.
I rarely ever buy stuff for myself, especially not jewelry.
But it was very inexpensive--just glass beads, in my three favorite colors of mauve, pink, and a lovely pale blue, with silver beads in between--and so pretty.
It came on a card that read, "Be Bold. Be Bright. Be Beautiful."
I dithered for quite a while about it.
Finally my daughter asked patiently, really without the slightest undertone of yearning for a Starbucks: "What would Johnny do?"
So I bought it.
I wear it every day.
And I love it. :)
More fan video from Russia! Hugs and kisses and so much love. ♥
Yes, Ice Dreams is happening again
in Bensenville, IL, on April 30!
in Bensenville, IL, on April 30!
Watch for ticket and VIP info coming soon (I hope!)
on Johnny's website and the Ice Dreams Facebook page!
Young skaters: Sign up here to audition!
of raising $10,000 for breast cancer research
by visiting his donor page! Any amount
you can give will help Skate for Hope
in the fight against cancer.
(Same weekend as the Annually Awesome
Columbus Gay Pride Parade--win-win!)
Hey, Johnny's performing in St. Petersburg, Russia,
on March 8 in a special ice show
that is a tribute to the legendary skater and coach
Alexei Mishin!
More info on Johnny's Events page!
"Buy my single,'Dirty Love' via iTunes.
Tell all your friends to as well. The more copies sold
takes me one step closer to making a video! №1!"
THE WORLD NEEDS THIS VIDEO
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
IN THE SAME WAY THAT IT NEEDS AIR.
You know what to do.
or just click the "Buy" button on the player
at the top of the blog!
Hey, Welcome to My World also is available
as an eBook! More info on Johnny's website!
9 comments:
I love you, Binky!...and this blog that brought so many lovely, loving people together...people who love the fact that the lovely Johnny Weir loved skating so much, he had to find a way to make it lovelier than it was....he did....and I love that!
Happy Women's Day to all!
Love is real...real is love - John Lennon
We love you, Binky, and wholeheartedly agree with you. Love and hugs should be widely and generously distributed. Also should continue to widely sprinkle the word "batshit," which is really guano, a really good fertilizer for creativity.
A widower I know spent months mourning not only his wonderful wife but also that he had not said "I love you" to her in recent memory. So I counseled him to write letters addressed to the Heavens/ether, and repeatedly explained that although I rarely heard the words spoken aloud myself, I felt them every day based on a multitude of actions. I explained that that was a typical guy thing because their carpus callosum tended to be narrower than in women, so their feelings side was not closely in touch with their verbal side. (Your parson was just rationalizing male inadequacies.)
I venture to guess that Johnny has a very thick carpus callosum, which helps him to be so verbal and in touch with his and others' feelings.
So folks, use the word "love" often with the folks you love and have much fewer regrets. And be sure to part with kind words before they leave on a trip or errand, go off to sleep, etc. Live with no regrets.
People like your pastor are used to telling other people how to live their lives. They feel they have the authority to interpret and define words. They get to tell us how to feel, how to act, who--and yes, what--to love.
Congratulations on rejecting that kind of thinking. Isn't life so much better now?
Love ya!
http://quotablejohnnyweir.blogspot.com/2010/09/love-is-most-important-thing-in-life.html
"I wonder if he was a USFS judge in his spare time?"
I love this!
I love you, Binky, for your filling my life with laughter, tears, amazement, discoveries, sympathy and much love. Thank you.
Binx, I can think of worse dilemmas than using the word love, too much. 'Course, I grew up in San Francisco and was in high school from mid 1965- early 1969, the height of the hippie days. "Peace & Love, Man, Peace, Love and being 'mellow';-)" So... Well, its a good thing I outgrew some of that stuff, but have never outgrown the love part. I, too, find myself using the word a lot. I think its fine. Your previous Pastor is entitled to his opinion, just like every one else...peace & love, man:-)
Still, I've found myself consulting the Thesaurus more often lately. Not just to find a word that might fit better than love, but in general when I find myself kind of stuck using the same words over & over again.
Now, in the case of your fantabulous blog, I find using the word love to be entirely appropriate. Therefore, this is what I have to say to you about today's post, "I luv, luv it:-)"
Hugs, dearest Binx.
aw, Binky's sparkling today! there's LOVE flying all over and it freaking rules!!
love is like a nuclear reactor - it can change the world.
Vanya's ears look like Cheburashka's ears? that SO makes sense, cause in a certain fur hat, Johnny looks like Cheburashka, too!
xo
Robin
Words have power, say it loud! I like that Deborah brought up John Lennon, my hero (all my heroes are named John. Hmm.) -I've a tattoo of IMAGINE to remind me there's hope, and dreams, and love!
Us? Batshit crazy? Us? LOL!
Best thing in the world is having your three year old nephew randomly say 'I Love you Gail!' (He doesn't quite get the 'Auntie' Gail part yet!) His Daddy my oldest nephew would randomly tell me the same thing, and what a great feeling it created/creates! To quote Don Henley, 'There's just not enough love in the world.'
Great Blog MM! You are the best!
Binky I don't know how you do it, but you always travel on the same wavelength as so many of us do. You put it into words that just ring so very true and real and heartfelt and soulful!! I LOVE LOVE YOU BB!!!
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