How You Doin'?

Anyone who has seen Friends knows that everyone looks out for Joey.

Chandler, his roommate, always makes sure that he has enough money and frequently covers Joey's half of the rent. At one point, Joey was too proud to accept Chandler's money, so Chandler made up a game called "Cups" so he could trick Joey into taking the money by making Joey think he "won" the game. Monica cooks for him and makes sure he's fed, Ross got him a job as a docent at the museum, Rachel defends his "man purse" after he discovered the trend at the Bloomingdales she works at and Phoebe pretends to be his agent on the phone, getting him auditions because he thought he wasn't a good actor anymore.

After Chandler and Monica start dating, Joey is their third wheel - often by their choice. Then when they get married, Joey is like their child. When they decide to move out of the city, to the country, Joey is upset that they won't be close by. Chandler says to him, "Come with us. You'll see how close it is to the city." to which Joey responds, "No, it's not close! You said it was in Escrow? I couldn't even find that on the map!" Classic Joey.

I tell you these tidbits to refresh your memory of past episodes, and if you aren't a fan, I hope you can see how Joey is always PART of the family. Most often, it is Chandler and Monica who make sure he stays part of the family.

The other day, Vicki said to me "You're our Joey." I laughed because I knew exactly what she was talking about. We are die hard Friends fans and those three words said it all.

I am Joey.

Vicki and her husband treat me as part of their family. I am their Joey. I am always considered no matter what they are doing. When they have talked about moving, her husband pipes in with, "Where are we going to put Salena?" When they plan holidays, they always ask if I'll be there. Or they just say, "You're coming with us." When I am here, they feed me, house me and buy me stuff. At 38 years old, I've become their third child. The kids want to know when I'm coming back before I even get my foot out the door!

I am very lucky to have another family who considers me one of their own. It's the best feeling in the world. We have history. Memories. Stories. Years of laughter. Everyone should be someone's Joey.

How You Doin?