Who inspires you and why?

[Karolyn Hart]

Share with us what people in your life have made a huge difference and why. Feel free to write about as many people as you want! I'll be posting me "Ode's" here shortly. I started writing them to my friends as a way of saying thanks!!

[Karolyn Hart]

My Favourite Colour is Hazel...

So each week I am writing about one of my friends and this week it's about Hazel Murphy. Really, Hazel falls under family more than the friendship category but it's all good :-) She met me when I was born and I'd like to think it was love at first sight for both of us. Growing up she was my "cool cousin" that took pity on me and gave me her hand-me-downs (which were always way cooler than anything I owned) and tried to help me through the awkward stage. Fortunately 25 years after she met me I finally grew out of that stage.

Hazel to me is the closest thing I have to a sister. The fact that we are quite literally together all the time due to GCTV and still hang out together on off hours speaks volumes. Hazel is one of those people that every person should have in their life. She balances me and I (and Daemon) thank her for that!

When I am cranky she knows what to do to make me laugh. When we are both cranky we lick our wounds together. Most of the time though she is kicking my butt. She's a great friend because she listens, encourages, puts up with my whining but just when I am about to take it over the edge... out comes the "Hazelnator". The"Hazelnator" will give me a saying, an image,or a moment that puts things in perspective and doesn't allow me to continue the pity party.

We've had rumours go around that we are "in love" and I am here to set the record straight - and say it's TRUE (ha ha ha). I LOVE HAZEL MURPHY! There it's in writing and there will be no stopping the rumour mill now. (I know Hazel is reading this and bursting out laughing at this exact moment). But the truth is that I really truly do love her.

In fact, I love everything about this woman. I love her passion for life, her unwillingness to accept the boring or mundane. I love the fact that she has travelled all over the world living her dream and refuses to accept no for an answer. I love the fact that she has achieved so much but is willing to humble herself and do whatever it takes to chase her next dream. I love the fact that she is thoughtful and considerate and invests in the most important relationships around her. I love her sense of humour and wit that makes me snort my drink out of my nose at the most inopportune times.

I love how she is just excited as I am when good things happen to me (if not more)!I love the fact that she's a firecracker and my biggest defender - it doesn't matter who you are - if you do anything (and I mean anything) that remotely upsets me she will kick your rear-end from here to kingdom come. I mean who doesn't want a friend like that? :-)

I love the fact that there is nobody else on this earth that I feel more safe and more understood by. (Sorry Daemon but as a man there are some things you will just never never get.) I love knowing that our histories are intertwined and my funny stories are quite often her funny stories. That I can mention something about growing up (a street name, a person, a place) and that is enough for her to know everything I am implying, saying, hoping for, and dreaming of. I love the fact that we can sit in my jeep, share a milkshake, watch the riverfront and talk about everything important and nothing of consequence for hours to unwind from our day.

I love the fact that when I lose belief in myself (as happens if you are human) that her belief continues. Hazel is one of the most amazing woman I know. I've admired and looked up to her ever since I can remember her and I still do every moment I am with her. I feel blessed and honoured that she's a part of my life, that somehow God arranged it so we could do our show together, and that after all these years our relationship has only grown stronger.

My wish is that every person would have a Hazel in their life for it truly makes bad days bearable and great days that much better!