Reaching Out to the Stars by Donna DeMaio Hunt Page B

really matter. They are irrelevant.
    I once met a guy on the Spirit of Boston cruise when I was at an anniversary party for my Auntie Beverly and Uncle Rick. It was a great time. I noticed him right away because he was absolutely perfect, like a Ken doll. As we exchanged information, I found out that he went to a local college in Boston and was from Ohio. We actually got together a couple of times but the minute he opened his mouth, he was actually quite ugly. Needless to say that didn’t work. It doesn’t matter how beautiful you are, it’s what is on the inside that counts. It’s not that he was a bad guy, but we just had very different personalities, senses of humor and very different ideas about life.
    Marilyn then proceeded to tell me that she actually had a lengthy conversation with my favorite idol. As I listened to her with envy, she told me that he had the most gorgeous eyes, which I knew but would have loved to experience. What a tease. I had asked her if he was sick or losing his voice and she said no, but as she approached him the first thing that he said to her was “I am so tired.” She said that they were all so exhausted, mentally and physically, and that she felt bad for them. As she has three sons of her own, she gave him a hug. She said that shockingly, he actually squeezed her when he hugged her back, seeming so homesick. She said he was one of the most down to earth and nicest people that she ever met. I came very close to asking her what he smelled like but I thought that may be crossing the line.
    I immediately went shopping for frames for my new pictures.
    I keep them on my nightstand as I frequently get the head shake or the eye roll from my husband. I often think about the fact that he actually had to touch that picture to sign it. Therefore, I don’t let anyone else touch it.
    I was so excited about my news and so excited to share it with someone that I again attempted to call Maria. As she answered the phone she sounded very unenthusiastic to speak with me. I guess I should have taken the hint then, but being as excited as I was, I began to tell her about the show and how Marilyn and Gerome had gotten all of the autographs for me and how exciting it was. Her response was, “Yeah, I guess it’s exciting, if you’re into that.”
    At that moment I grew sad when I realized that she had become a different kind of friend, the friend that had really become more of an acquaintance. What’s a friend for if you can’t talk to them about your passions and the things that you get excited about? As I am still hurt by her reaction to my news, I guess I can’t expect everyone to have the same passions as I do. I do believe though that she could have been a little more enthusiastic, even if she wasn’t “into it.” I started to miss my old friend. Someday, I hope to have her back. One of my favorite quotes says it best: “In order to have a friend, you need to be a friend.”
    As the excitement started to wear off a little I was able to reflect on some of the things that Marilyn had told me about her conversation with my idol.
    When the final weeks of American Idol neared, there were speculations about my idol actually wanting to be voted off the show. I am not sure if that was the plan or not but I definitely think that he was feeling some extreme pressure and was not comfortable with it.
    Because of his laid back personality, I think he started experiencing what I have been referring to all along as the “dream” that isn’t really the “dream.” I’m sure a lot of this great life experience that most people will never get an opportunity to even come close to was in fact a wonderful experience. But when do you reach a point where you’ve “had enough?” I believe that some people are made for this type of lifestyle, and I am also pretty sure that most of us are not. The truth is, when you really love to do something that actually seems as though it is becoming more of a chore, is it