You guessed it! Carole King at her piano singing, You’ve Got A Friend. Doesn’t get much better!
Since I’ve been thinking a lot about friends lately, new ones and old ones and I recently saw Carole King’s (Klein) musical tribute, Beautiful, on Broadway – this video seems the perfect synthesis. Besides, you’ll feel happy just singing the words.
Tell us the origin story of your best friend. How did you become friends? What is it that keeps your friendship rockin’ after all these years?
I met my best friend, G, while residing in my mother’s belly. My mom was a friend of G’s aunt. G and I took a while to formulate our friendship, to bother to get to know who the other was, once left to our own devices. It started in junior high school, but bloomed a few years later.
Obviously we lived in the same neighborhood. Although our families had cars, back then they were never used for ‘play dates.’ Our friends were local, confined to a 20 block radius. And it worked perfectly because our realities meshed. We had similarity with just enough difference to keep life spicy. The relationships that grew were organic. We were pulled into each other’s world because it felt right, safe, interesting and fun.
Then things changed. We’d test how far we could push the envelope. Could we get into and out of trouble together, could we depend on the other for helpful logic, support, discussion? Was this really a friendship? Time moved forward. There was college, first jobs, where to live, who to marry, children. We no longer lived in the same neighborhood, our kids went to different schools, we saw each other less frequently. But I could pick up the phone and have a conversation with her like I saw her yesterday. There’s a closeness and comfort to this behavior that should not be ignored or underestimated.
We are still best friends. We’ve gone through divorce, second marriages, fall-outs, yelling matches, troubles with children, boyfriends, husbands. There isn’t anything I can imagine that could dissolve our feelings, love, devotion. We are respectful, admiring, and supportive. We fly across the country, call to share a laugh or cry, have a deep need to stay connected.
Guard your friendships.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/prompt-something-so-strong/
Ah yes, the golden years. Fair assessment or cruel joke?
It has taken me a while to catch up with myself in this regard. For a long time the numbers of my life seemed silly, I felt young and healthy, so I’d sluff those numbers off with; “I don’t feel old…I feel, think and dress like a 35 year old!” But then I more consciously considered those numbers. The ones I made believe did not apply to me. The ones my children are close to reaching.
If I’m honest there are now aches in my neck and knees. There are fears I remember my mother expressing that creep into my brain. I don’t know when exactly the ‘golden years’ begin, but maybe it’s a slower, longer process than a given age group. I forget things. It’s feeling differently, less invincible for sure, but it’s a mixture of so many factors that bunch into a hard-to-ignore blockade.
It is important to see myself realistically and yet push beyond my comfort limits. I believe that is how I’ll grow personally and maintain a level of challenge while continuing to synapse build. It’s a matter of finding what’s right, in the right increments. There is no one size fits all here. As in yoga, we must listen to our bodies, follow our practice and actively pursue our bliss. One of the wonderful aspects of the golden years is gaining wisdom, caring less what others think, a willingness to take care of ourselves because we must, and I would hope the feeling of a life well lived.
http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/03/10/weekly-writing-challenge-golden-years/#more-70347
The heart is a muscle of great importance for the body as it pumps nutrient rich blood throughout the blood vessels, reaching locations by repeated and rhythmic contraction. The heart is located in the chest cavity, slightly left of center. It beats, on average, 72 times per minute, and according to Wikipedia will beat approximately 2.5 billion – that’s – BILLION – times during an average 66 year lifespan (which we hope is less than our actual lifespan). Remarkable.
But, what is the heart? Continue reading
Mary Beth Coudal, co-founder of Boot Camp For Writers, and blogger (The Pursuit of Happiness) invited me to join this tour. I am to answer four questions about my writing process and introduce you to three new bloggers, who will do the same next week and on it goes.
1. What am I working on?
I am working on the finalization of the memoir I began in 2008 titled, Passing Through, (which may or may not remain the title). The story is about losing my parents in relatively close proximity and the slow peeling of thoughts, beliefs and emotions that once covered a more judgmental, less compassionate, me. Continue reading
This is Merriam-Webster’s definition of parenting: the process of taking care of children until they are old enough to take care of themselves: the things that parents do to raise a child. It is clear to me that Merriam-Webster never raised a child. Continue reading
Through WordPress and other on and off-line writing communities I have found a double handful of friends I might not have otherwise. They are kind, supportive, perceptive and understanding individuals. They rise above, atop a geyser, relationships I’ve had for a much longer time.
We have been going through a difficult time – not impossible, not lethal, but straining. Life throws punches and we punch back, Continue reading
Wendy Karasin - Musings of a Boomer 
