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!
