Lady O

When I was doing Mondo Beyondo this past fall, several people put that they would like to meet Oprah on their lists. I totally get it. I love, love, love Oprah. While sick these past few days, I have been re-watching her 20th Anniversary DVD Collection. I love her spirit, her authenticity. It surprises me completely that there are people who dislike her (or even vilify her) because to me she seems so very utterly herself, someone who lives in a multi-dimensional way, someone who is humble about her limits and someone who is also unafraid to express pride about what she has accomplished. At alternate turns while re-watching the collection, I laughed and cried and then laughed and cried again.

And you know what gets me? The moment when she walks out at the beginning of a show and everyone is cheering. Something about that moment can get me all choked up and emotional.

Then I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever told the blogosphere that I have been in Oprah’s physical presence–though we didn’t, technically, “meet.”

It went down like this–I was briefly visiting Chicago after I’d moved to California, and a friend of mine who worked for Harpo had made plans with me to have dinner. She was overseeing a project, and then the project ran over and she realized that she would need to stay on-site to oversee the project. She suggested that instead of going out for dinner, we grab takeout and eat at Harpo so that she could be on-hand in case someone needed her.

I agreed, went and got checked in through security, and it was about 8:00 at night and we were just in the cafeteria, eating our dinner while sitting across the table from one another, when quite suddenly, there was Oprah. Right there. Beside me. Bent down a little bit to look us in the eye.

“Something smells delicious, girls,” she said, warmly.

I wish that I could say that I was cooler than this, but I basically sort of froze up and nodded and managed to say something like, “Oh, it is [good],” and then she left us to our dinner and shuffled over to the microwaves to heat something up. She was wearing her house-slippers with a nice pair of tailored pants and a good sweater. I was afraid to look over while she was heating up her meal, and the conversation that I’d been sharing with my friend was down to some awkward murmurings. My friend had of course met Oprah a few times, but had said that she still found it a little awkward to talk to her, a sentiment I could completely understand in that moment (all the while, some part of me really desperately wanted to say something charming so that Oprah would want to be my new friend).

That’s really it; that’s my Oprah moment. Short and sweet. But still, it seems to me that even in that moment I could sense a genuineness about her. For instance, even though she’s OPRAH, she made an effort to chat briefly with the people who were in the cafeteria, rather than ignoring us. And even though she’s OPRAH, she was heating her own food rather than sending someone else to do it. And even though she’s OPRAH and has more money than god and could just sit back and probably hire out every single thing, she was at work at 8:00 at night, being involved. My friend was staying late at work? Guess what–Oprah was, too.

As I was watching the DVDs again, however, I realized that I think I do have some Mondo Beyondo, “Wildest Dreams” kinds of things–like a Wildest Dream would be to be able to work on the show for a week, help out with stage production, etc. Just to be in that energy for a week would be so cool. I also think it would be the neatest thing ever to go to South Africa as a volunteer if they ever did the Christmas Kindness project again.

The Christmas Kindness project, in case you hadn’t heard of it, happened a few years ago when she went to South Africa and held parties and gave gifts to impoverished children. Skeptics might turn their noses up at this–”What does she think she’s doing, giving a party to kids like this? That’s not what they need! They need…” –but if those skeptics actually watched the entire show, they’d see that the kids got a party…and clothes, and a month’s worth of food, and medical attention, and access to school. And the show exposed the South African government’s lack of response to getting anti-retrovirals for HIV/AIDS patients, and highlighted the work of charitable organizations that are already deeply involved in getting to the heart of the problems that the country faces. Oprah couldn’t possibly solve the HIV/AIDS crisis, but she did something huge nonetheless–giving thousands of children much-needed clothing and food (and yes, gifts and an opportunity to play!) and then turning this in to an opportunity to bring the message home to viewers in the United States.

I watch that episode and feel such sheer gratitude for all that I have in my life, and I am reminded again of the gifts of gratitude–how it transforms everything. I love the saying, “The only prayer you’ll ever need is ‘thank you.’ ”

I’m really thankful that she is in the world. I’m so thankful for all that she is doing to promote worthy causes, while not keeping everything SO SERIOUS that we can’t throw in a show on bras or weight-loss now and again (balance, balance, balance–I think she gets this about the world). 

For her sense of fun, her ability to laugh at herself, her compassion, her authenticity, and the way that she lives life 100% fully alive, I am so grateful.

P.S. A Five-person giveaway will be happening starting Monday at 6:00am Pacific over at Your Courageous Life!