Mallory

Last updated: September 13, 2024

I am visiting my friend Mallory in Los Angeles. She’s one of my best friends.

I met Mallory randomly on the Internet many years ago. I think I saw her writing and I sent her a note inviting her to come to one of my parties.

Then we became friends, roommates, and now best friends.

She invited me to her wedding and I wrote about having a burn-a-hole in my memory life experience; I’ll share it here if you keep scrolling.

As I sit and talk and eat pizza with Mallory and her husband in their home I am reminded that the Internet can still be a good place.

Good people are lurking around here. Good people like you who want to meet and make new friends. Don’t give up hope!

Now here’s the magical experience I had at her wedding…

Last night I had a magical, burn-a-hole in my memory life experience.

Within seconds I was jolted awake and pushed to my physical limits.

It happened at a wedding. And I’d like to thank the Jewish people for this great experience.

I should first say that I have a hard time engaging at weddings. Nobody ever lets me do name tags.

Weddings are a very unique blend of family and friends and curious connections. They need more icebreakers really. But that’s another topic.

It is my friend Mallory’s big day. I’m two hours north of Los Angeles.

Mallory Blair was my roommate in New York City. I met her on Tumblr so many years ago. She’s the Mallory in my book that I reached out to invite to one of my first parties.

She’s the closest non-family figure in my life who I would call “my little sister.” I like her a lot.

I flew across the country for this. To see her new life in LA and to celebrate this union with the love of her life.

But now there are dozens of new faces and new inside jokes and distant relatives I’ve never heard of.

This is a common wedding attendee experience, to meet so many new people, and I know it is not unique. But I acknowledge that I was struggling with it.

So after the service and after dinner as the sun has gone down, I’m feeling a bit disconnected. I’m sitting at my dinner table in the dark and I’m even thinking of leaving early.

Then Mallory rushes over. I see the flash of her white dress out of the corner of my eye.

“Can you lift something heavy? I need your help. For the chair thing. Right now.”

I snap to attention. She grabs my arm, pulls me up, and tells me to bring my heavy wooden chair.

The only instructions I receive are to tilt it back so she won’t fall out. And to be careful not to get kicked in the face.

Now, Mallory knows that this is my first Jewish wedding. She’s being courteous to call it “the chair thing” so I understand what is about to happen.

The hora is a Jewish wedding tradition. You’ve probably seen it in movies: the bride and groom are lifted up on chairs, perhaps towards the heavens, and repeatedly thrusted up and down by their family and friends in a riotous celebration.

This is the situation I find myself in: suddenly rushing a heavy wooden chair to the center of the dance floor and forming a rag-tag team of stronglift volunteers.

Mallory sits down, as does her new husband across. And I grab the front left leg with a few others and we begin the celebration. Others swarm the dance floor as the music begins.

I cannot express how drastically much my situation has changed over the past 30 seconds. From an idle bystander to literally a pillar of support.

It is incredible high energy. Everyone is on the dance floor now.

The tradition goes on longer than you might think. My arms are throbbing but the music gives us a new life.

I am fully in my body and I look up at Mallory on the chair and underneath the stars. I see her with her new husband who makes her so happy. They are surrounded and literally supported by so many people.

We are cheering at the top of our lungs for their success. And now I am tuned in.

There is an energy inside of me and a connection to this group that I feel to my core.

In that moment I know that Jewish weddings are the best.

THE END

• Mallory on Instagram
• Mallory on Twitter / X
• Mallory Blair’s Super Great 2016

Hi from Nick! Originally published on Twitter / X. I’ve been doing these interviews with people like this one and posting them on my Instagram and Twitter / X. I’ll add some others into the Profiles category. Leave me a comment if you liked this and I’ll try to add some more.