The quagmire that is social media grows increasingly upsetting with each passing day, but every now and then a ray of inspiration shines through, a reminder of the very best ways the internet can bring us closer together, and in some instances back together after decades apart. Such was the case when a woman named Paula reached out to me on Instagram and asked if I was oboe player in Amsterdam and the brother of Paul. It was an old friend from high school – now known as Paula ‘Precious’ Bell – and she has earned this Dazzler of the Day honor not just for her work on her own fitness endeavors – Ninja P Fitness – but for having the courage to reach out to someone who in high school was anything but approachable. To be named a Dazzler typically requires more than one dazzling aspect, and Paula also has a few other aces up her sleeves, as evidenced by this magnificent multi-hyphenate: Speaker/Coach/Consultant/Author. Her website offers even more magnificence here.
Her recent Affirmation Monday video speaks of inspiration, a timely entry from her YouTube channel ‘The BA Martial Artist’ (she’s aiming for 1000 subscribers by her birthday in December, so give her a follow and start subscribing).
After she sent me a message and I confirmed that I was indeed the kid she remembered from school, I sent her an apology for being such a terror in high school. In many respects, my high school behavior was less than kind, and in more pointed terms I was simply a mean girl. “Yes, you were a little bit of a terror,” she acknowledged, before being big enough to offer some grace: “Sometimes embarrassing or humiliating situations actually give you strength along the way.”
That little show of forgiveness touched me, and I wrote back that I actually considered her a closer friend than I probably ever indicated at the time. She was one of my favorite people in the band of misfits that comprised the Amsterdam High School orchestra in the early 90’s, and though she was younger than me, and had grown up in my brother’s class, I felt a closeness to her. We even exchanged notes like girls in high school were wont to do in the old days.
After exploring her YouTube videos and social media accounts, I gave her my text number and we dove into the modern version of exchanging high school notes, making tentative plans to reconnect in Boston this fall.
