A tribute to Jodene on #D500 - project me day 500

Hi. My name is Greg (Greggie in this blog) and this is the 500^th post of my best friend?s daily blog. I have the honour of sharing this special moment with you.

I distinctly remember the day Jodene and I went to watch Julie and Julia; the day when everything changed and she got this notion to blog daily. 500 days along and the daily blogging continues with the purpose and dedication with which she started.

The path has not been an easy one and, while many would have found reason not to blog during the more challenging times, Jodene pushed through, even if it was to post a one-liner to her readers. There were times after she hurt her back and was bedridden that she was too drugged up on painkillers to focus, yet was determined that, if nothing else, her blog post needs to be written. It is during these difficult and vulnerable times that many people stop communicating, yet Jodene realised that if she stopped during these times then she would start to compromise the purpose of Project Me. There have been moments of heartbreak and frustration when it has taken her hours to generate the post, yet these hours have been what have helped her to heal what has been weighing on her mind. These are also the posts that draw the most amazing response, which just shows how much we all appreciate the truth.

On the flipside, there have been lighter moments along the journey. Jodene, bless her, is not good with numbers and seems to ?lose? days along the way. I, on the other hand, bless me, have a tendency to be anally observant and have, on occasion, had to Google what day of the blog we should be on, because something just hasn?t felt right. In some of these cases we never found those missing days.

Then there have been those days where, not having written her post yet, I have dropped her at home giggling after an evening fuelled by alcoholic beverage. These posts are distinctive to say the least.

I have watched my beautiful friend grow from considering her every word and worrying about what her readers would think of her, to a bold, natural and vulnerable writer. Jodene speaks her mind, first in person, and then on Project Me. She allows the world into her life and her readers see themselves reflected in her story. For we all share a story by purely being together in this time and space.

Jodene and I have a relationship that I treasure above most things. We are often passed off as a married couple yet we know that on the continuum of relating, even if the chemistry were somewhat different, we would still only be best friends. We really have very little in common: we don?t share a taste in music, TV programmes, books, food or men. The last point is a huge positive for Jodene and she is at least comfortable leaving her boyfriends alone in a room with me. 😉

Yet, more importantly I have someone who I know will not play into the drama I create in my head, will not judge me for speaking my truth, always listens even though sometimes she?s thinking I?m talking crap, laughs along when I laugh at my own humour, and will never tell me what to do. Jodene and I watch each other go down paths that we can see will be challenging and after telling the other what we see, allow them to choose that journey if they want. Because we believe we all take the journey we choose to.

It is an honour to stand by Jodene?s side as she travels her Project Me journey. As she grows, so does Project Me, and the world is a better place for it.

To my dearest friend: Day 500 is but a stepping-stone along your path of self-discovery; a path that is being travelled with courage, consciousness and a sense of humour. You are an inspiration, a joy to be around, a best friend like no other and a treasured business partner.

In the words of a very wise person: ?Keep taking that ?I?m-awesome-and-nothing-can-take-that-away pill??. We love you for it. 😉