The Good Life

Last Friday I was thinking of writing a blog about things that piss me off. Perhaps this all came to mind on Thursday when the nurse tried to give me a drug which I was not scheduled to receive according to the last conversation I had with my doctor a week prior. My nurse patiently tried to make some sense out of my file, and was finally able to get things clarified with the doctor. Then there followed a series of minor things that got me thinking the subject would make a good blog topic.


Luckily it was a busy weekend and my writing was delayed. Over the weekend I spent time with friends and yesterday and today received several emails that made me smile and left me feeling very grateful for the life I have and the people I know. This pushed all the sour thoughts out of my mind.

The weekend started on an up note when we went with friends to “First Friday”. In our neighborhood, all the art galleries and some of the small shops open their doors and display new artwork, with many offering snacks, soft drinks and wine on the first Friday of the month. The streets are filled with young artists displaying their wares (some good, some not so) and occasionally there are street performers doing magic tricks, walking on stilts or singing and playing instruments.

A group of us ventured out and visited some of our favorite galleries. The girls naturally were drawn to the jewelry vendors, among others. I had declared that I was looking for big earrings as someone had suggested that they might look good with my dramatically short and white hairdo. I was coaxed into a pair of dangling metal orbs which I modeled on Saturday and they were a great success.

Saturday was the first day of the 4th of July weekend, a big day of celebration in the US. The city puts on a terrific fireworks display which we can view from our condo, so we invited friends and family to join us for an evening of food, drink and celebration. The fireworks were wonderful and the food was good, but nothing compared to the spontaneous concert that we were given by two of my neighbors (and friends). Barry walked in with his guitar around 9:00 p.m. and immediately changed the tempo of the party. Tom was coerced into bringing up his fiddle and mandolin. The two of them started to jam and the party rocked. Tom actually plays with a band at a local bar – we all are planning to go see him play in a few weeks. Be sure to check out the video Thierry posted on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EojwcwnZAcQ.

Sunday was a slow day, but we did go for a walk in the 98 degree heat to have a beer with friends at a little pub and later had Chinese take-out for dinner. Today, Monday, we celebrated Mike’s birthday (long overdue, it was the 25th of June) and had everyone over at mom and dad’s house for stuffed shells – one of Mike’s favorites – and chicken cutlets. Oh, and an amazing yellow-cake with chocolate icing.

Occasionally Lauren and I will go on a negative rant about something (or someone) that annoys us. Whenever one of us starts this type of diatribe, the listener will remind the complainer to focus on the good things. Letting off steam is necessary and sometimes what you need to do in the moment, but focusing on the fun things that you do and the friends that you have is the best medicine in the long run.

It has been a great week.