Inspiring Friend #3: Beth

Since today is the 30th birthday of my good friend Beth, I thought I would dedicate this blog post to her.  Also, I missed getting her birthday card into the mail before the 3-day weekend, and online cards don’t cut it for milestone birthdays.  Beth and I have seen each other through quite a few milestones.  She came to my birthday sleepover the year I turned ten (although she threw up and had to leave early).

I think one of the reasons we've managed to stay friends over the years is because we have so much in common.  We’re both good in a fight (Beth because she has a black belt and me because I’m a giant).  We both grew up to be surprisingly attractive female statisticians.  And we both married a co-worker.

After college, Beth got her security clearance and went to work for a government contract company.  I’m not at liberty to say what she was doing, but I will say that I’ve always admired her ability to rock a scarf with a pantsuit.  A couple years ago, Beth started feeling restless and said she needed a change.  I interpreted this to mean that she would grow increasingly disgruntled, complain incessantly about her job for a few years, and maybe eventually send out a few resumes.  In the past, this has always been my strategy, but Beth is a lot more proactive and resourceful than I am.  While training for a marathon, she took the GMATs and began taking MBA classes at night.  Then she went to a local career fair and got a cool new job at a luxury car company.  I always thought career fairs were for college kids looking to score free candy and trinkets.  Who knew you could actually attend one as an adult and walk away with a job?  Apparently they even have career fairs now for the 50+ age group.  Because you’re never too old for a career crisis!

When Beth got married just a couple of weeks ago, the groom said he was marrying “the most capable, competent woman in the world.”  I couldn’t agree more.  I often feel lazy by comparison.  I’ve had to purposely seek out other friends who are slackers just to even things out.

I like to think that Beth inspires me to be more proactive and that I inspire her to take more breaks.  So Beth, wherever you are, I implore you to stop being productive and do something fun and irresponsible on your birthday.  And I will do something fun and irresponsible in your honor.