The Award
Time to put the shoes on
Vlad raced to his friend’s house as soon as he heard the news. It was not every day that Jerry won a prestigious award, in fact Vlad could not remember Jerry ever winning any kind of award.
Once inside Jerry’s house Vlad gave him a bear hug, “Congratulations, you dog!”
“Congratulations for what?”
“The award, silly! This is huge!”
“Oh, that.”
“Why the hell are you not jumping up and down right now? This could change everything for you, man. You finally got the recognition that you deserve. You finally achieved success. How are you not partying right now?”
“Uh… I dunno. I guess I’m letting it soak in. I’m still processing it.”
“Still processing it? Seriously? When you win a gold medal at the Olympics you don’t sit down and think about it. You stand up and accept the medal with all the pride you can muster. When you hit a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to win the World Series you don’t stop at home plate to think about it. You celebrate!”
“I guess,” Jerry sat down on his couch.
Vlad sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch, “Seriously dude, what’s the deal?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never won an award before. I don’t know how to react.”
“Seriously? You’ve never won any award in your entire life? Not even in school? No trophies, no ribbons, no recognition for anything?”
“No, I seriously haven’t. Ever. So I just don’t know how to react.”
“A joyous reaction to success isn’t something you have to learn. It should be natural. When you’re told you’re really good at something that should automatically make you feel good about yourself. It’s a natural reaction, man.”
“Well, it’s not natural to me. It’s scary. I mean, people are going to want to take my picture now. They’ll want to interview me. I won’t be able to shop in peace at the grocery store. My life will be turned upside down.”
Vlad let out a huge laugh, “Now I get it. You have a fear of success!”
“Fear of success? That’s crazy.”
Vlad slapped his hands on his knees then stood up from the coffee table, “Get your shoes on.”
“What?”
“Get your shoes on. I’m taking you out to dinner. My treat. Then we’re going to celebrate. I’ve sat with you as you’ve wallowed in all your failures over the years and now I’ll be at your side as you celebrate your success. I can’t believe I have to teach you how to celebrate. Jesus. You know, you’re so good at what you do but all these years you’ve been avoiding success because you’re afraid of it. You’d rather wallow in your misery than accept praise. You’d rather be the poor pitiful guy who never got any attention or recognition. Failure has been part of your identity for so long and now you’re afraid to give it up. Now get your damn shoes on!”
“Uh… I… I really just want to be alone right now.”
“Bullshit! You’re getting over your fear of success starting right now. Come on Jerry, now get your damn shoes on!”
Copyright by White Feather. All Rights Reserved. This is a work of fiction.
Speaking of celebration…