When it comes to anniversaries, traditionally, the five-year gift is something made of wood. According to Hallmark, the modern day five-year gift is silverware. I’m not entirely sure how one translates into the other, however nonetheless here we are, five years of Girl Talk.
This milestone is bittersweet as the column has grown and changed so much since its early days. In the beginning, the column was full of stories about my failed dating life. It was lusty, drunk and ridiculous. Now as I am older and more settled, it is more about the path of finding love. No more one-night stands, no more dancing on bar tops or taking shots from strangers; I suppose I have grown up.
So, what have I learned in these past five years? I have had my heart broken a time or two. I have trusted both the right and wrong people, and, for a time, I had a million friends. These days, my circle is small, and my heart is strong.
Do things still get crazy? Of course they do, but it’s more of a controlled crazy. My nights no longer end at last call; in fact; some nights I think I’m in bed while the sun is still up. The heels are on the shelf, and the dust of glitter has settled. I have learned the crazy, wild girl is still in there — she just makes the occasional guest appearance these days instead of being the headlining act.
I have learned self-worth. I have learned the difference between love and lust and the importance of being genuine and having integrity; I didn’t always have such perspective. There were times I had lied, times I had ghosted and times I should have walked away. There were days where I wanted to be a people pleaser and days that I put everyone else’s needs ahead of my own. More times than I can count, I broke my own heart.
I’m still good for the inappropriate, tongue-in-cheek humor that my column once blasted across the pages of the Weekender.
I learned the value of laughter.
I took some damn yoga classes and learned about peace within.
I travelled. I found pieces of my soul along the side of the streets in both Scranton and New Orleans as well as many dirt roads in between. I laughed on stages beside amazing drag queens who have become some of the closest friends I know. I have helped many charities, dabbled in all sorts of media thanks to my friends at 98.5 KRZ and WBRE. I was called Wilkes-Barre relevant in jest by those with no relevancy at all. I rose from the ashes of darker times alongside my colleagues. I helped people. I helped myself.
So who knows where the next five years will take me? Maybe a marriage or new baby or possibly a trip around the world. I thank you all for your five years of readership. It’s an honor to be in print for you. You can keep the silverware, but I wouldn’t mind some wood. Happy anniversary.
