This Beer is For You

Amy and I were sitting on the balcony yesterday and had front row seats to all that was happening on the beach. Some entrepreneurs had set up tables and were selling beer. There were people throwing footballs and frisbees. We watched drunk teenagers play the dizzy bat game - you spin around about 10 times with your head down on the end of a bat and then, once you are dizzy, and in this case, drunk, you try to hit a ball with the bat. Most of them ended up face first in the sand and ocean. The beach below us was covered with activity. All of this, coupled with conversations we have overheard in the halls and elevators, can be so funny to begin with, but then it all just becomes really sad.

Amy has always had incredible insight into situations and she makes you think about things in ways you wouldn't normally think about them. She began talking about what was going on this week and how sad this whole spring break scene made her; she was really feeling sorry for the girls. The guys they are with want to get them drunk and uninhibited and mindless. They aren't safe with these boys and these boys have no concern for the girls; the thought of protecting these girls has not even crossed their minds.

I pondered this for a while and was overwhelmingly thankful for a few of the guys in my life. When I am around them, I feel cared for, protected, and safe, in several ways. I can even recall specific incidences where I knew I was being looked after by them. I won't name names here but you will get a personal thanks from me soon.

Oh, the title of this post comes from a conversation I had with a boy in the elevator my first day. I was going down to meet Amy and help her unload her car. When you are on the 22nd floor of a building full of people who are coming and going from the beach and pool, the elevator tends to stop on practically every floor. This boy and his two friends got on the elevator a couple of floors after I got on. We were the only 4 on there. He was pulling a huge cooler overflowing with various Budweiser beverages, and he was carrying a funnel that was already full. When he stepped on, he looked at me, smiled, said "I knew you were going to be on here; this beer is for you," and held out the funnel. It made me laugh and I politely turned him down - I don't like beer. As we continued to stop on other floors and the elevator filled up, he moved back against the wall beside me and propped his elbow on my shoulder. We arrived at the lobby and all went our separate ways. It has been an interesting week.