Category Archives: Uncategorized

Let’s begin at the beginning

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I used to work with someone who would constantly say to a client upon meeting them, “Let’s begin at the beginning”.  This would set the stage for how the company could help them and so on.  Truth be told, it got on my nerves.  Not like the sound of flip flops do but pretty close.  Maybe because she said it too often?  Maybe her voice was a shade too loud?  It doesn’t matter.  Then one day I got to thinking….begin at the beginning.  Our parents are the beginning for all of us.  My parents are my beginning.  Without them, I don’t exist.  Nor does my sister.  Or our family that continues the generations.  The past.  The future.  I know.  You get it already!

My parents are celebrating their 51st wedding anniversary this week.  I get teary eyed thinking of that statistic.  What an accomplishment.  How did they do it?  Commitment.  Love.  Loyalty.   All of these things and more?  When I think about my parent’s relationship it just seems easy and natural.  My father always lets my Mom be her own person and my mother does the same.  Well, mostly.  (Just kidding Mom!)  They are a united front.  Solid.  And they will both say marriage is hard work but I never really saw that.  Of course, I was a kid so my radar was hardly on work, right?  Or anyone else for that matter!

Anyway, I know we always talk about being proud of our children.  But we can also be proud of our parents.  As strict as my upbringing was at times, I am proud of the way my parents raised my sister and I.  They did so with consistency, values, humor (although not nearly enough!) and a blend of ‘Semper Fi’ that my Dad mixed in and the three ladies in his life just bought into.    My parents have always been faithful and respectful to one another and to their family.  And that respect just spreads to all areas of one’s life.  If you have parents like this or one parent like this or a person in your life who provides love, leadership and security, be thankful every day.  These are the true gifts.  Enjoy them.  Embrace them.  And pass them on to others.

My Mom and Dad on their wedding day. So cool...51 years ago...

My Mom and Dad on their wedding day. So cool…51 years ago…

 

‘Hat full of’ ……awesomeness

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I saw Cyndi Lauper in concert recently.   It was amazing!  The show was the ‘She’s So Unusual’ tour and it brought me back to all my 1980s memories of girls having fun.  Fun with makeup.  Fun with clothes.   What a rush!   Big hair.  Spray colored pink.  False eyelashes.  Why did I ever stop wearing those?  I felt like Liza Minelli.  Or a Vegas showgirl.  Well, that might be pushing it.  Maybe false eyelashes and glitter blush wouldn’t work dropping my kids at the bus stop?  Hmm.  Wait a minute…the show is about Cyndi.  I lost myself in the self indulgence of the 80s.

You gotta love me some Cyndi Lauper.  She is phenomenal live!  What a voice.  When she sang ‘Hat Full of Stars’ with one instrument in the background….WOW.  It could give a person chills.  She has been nominated for something like 14 Grammys and she won a Tony award this past year for her musical ‘Kinky Boots’.  A Tony award.  That is cool.  It’s a Broadway thing.  Like a badge of honor.   And she seems so real and down to earth.  She told stories in between songs in her New York accent and she spoke to the audience like we were all her friends.  There is a genuineness about her that is palpable.

A big part of the fun was the preparation and putting on all the make up and glitter and sharing with my kids what it was like to be a part of the 80s.  The perms.  The leg warmers.  I was pulling out old pictures and showing them the styles.  My own personal Pinterest account.  Big hair.  Big shoulder pads.  Big hearts.  The 80s was all about fun and prosperity.  Cyndi Lauper gave us all girl power and a sense of ourselves!  And she is still doing it 30 years later!  She is a true artist and a true inspiration!   If I were asked what celebrity I would want to have lunch with, she is way up there on my list.  What a blast that would be!  Hey, sometimes girls just wanna have fun!  Right?

 

Buying the cosmetics was so much FUN!

Buying the cosmetics was so much FUN!

 

Close encounter of any kind

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Life as a single woman with two curious and verbally creative children (where did that come from? Hmm… I wonder) is a different experience on many levels.  And it can be either the most fun or the most humiliation known to a sometimes harried person such as myself.   Each outing is a potential encounter with the opposite gender and even the most benign encounters can get a wink or an eye roll from my 12 year old daughter.  This wasn’t always the case.  But middle school has enlightened her, shall we say?  I think that is the best way to put it.  And not to be outdone, my 5 year old son watches carefully and chimes in with his version of middle school humor and hijinks.

So here is a recent example.  An older gentleman works at my local deli and I am purchasing some lunch meat.  He asks:  “What can I get you, young lady?”  Big smile.  Pleasant demeanor.  Great for customer service.  He then offers me a sample of some cheese that all the patrons are being offered. Who can resist cheese?  This is like a high end Costco sample rolled in prosciutto.  Mmmm.  Salty.  I remark, “Oh that is good.”  My daughter winks at me.  I say, “Really?”  Under her breath she says, “Well, you never know”.

We leave without further incident.  In the car Eva slyly asks, “So did he ask you out?”  “What??  Over the Boar’s Head loaf?”   She continues, “So do you like him?”  Middle school must be teaching a course in persistence these days.  Nice trait.  I reply, “Based on what – our mutual love of boloney? So now we should be dating?”   Not that I am even dating.  Because when would I do that?  Well, apparently the cheese and pleasantries at the deli were a date!  In the back seat I hear them both giggling and whispering.   I cannot hear any of the details but I imagine it is hilarious!