A promise to myself, not to be construed as a resolution, is being kept. It's been very interesting to learn with more focus, I can accomplish goals, tasks and promises. I vowed during the holidays when preparing the perfunctory holiday cards I would stay in regular touch with the people I love but didn't do more than send a once a year card to. This list of contacts includes my college roommates, nieces, nephews and friends whom I deeply cherish but have someone lost the good connection.
The promise includes a weekly phone call, no matter the length to my friend Steve (college) who recently divorced (finally what took you sooooo long!!!!!!!!!), retired, is having his only son graduate to West Point (and mind you the cadet's dad and I topped the slacker list for a period of time in college). We have been talking weekly about random anything where we are spending our energy. I feel 20 again. I love this. I am also picking up the phone and talking to a former work colleague who married and moved down the road over the summer. She is a first time stepmom at nearly 50, so I feel I might have some ideas to keep her keep the sanity. She rounds me out in the spiritual department. Lord knows (no pun intended) I need some rounding out. There is now and then movie nights with former colleagues where we eat popcorn and movie junk food together, call it dinner and laugh as much as we can. I helped sponsor an impromptu but very sweet post-wedding shower for friends who lived together for 12 years and couldn't do a baker's dozen unmarried. That made me feel so good.
I am texting my 30 something nephew in Idaho and sending regular I love you's how u doing to a dear niece in Florida. She is the mother of two little ones, including a new son recently diagnosed with autism. I am calling my mom at least once a week while driving home from work just to hear how life is for she and my prince of a stepdad in WARM Arizona.
My colleague roommate whom I have renamed Flo Cline (we were ugly stepsisters one night 20 years ago....we rented an overpriced condo in Central OR with former acquaintances...the acquaintances were prom queens in a nice sense who just were too immaculate in all ways, around the clock. Flo and Marge were born the night the four of us went out to a joint for some rock music. The PQs were asked to dance all night--size 4, fully coiffed right down to the silicone. Flo and I couldnt compete, so we drank something powerful and put signs on our backs. Mine said "ugly" and hers said, "stepsister." Laughing through the hurt of being unchosen has stayed with us for more than two decades. She is also Cline because of her off and on relationship with her small hometown radio station where she spins classic country tunes. As a Patsy affecianado, I dubbed her post-haste). Flo and I try to keep the cheer moving to and fro between texting, emails, phone calls and now Facebook. It's downright funny watching the two of us morph into new technology.
Finally, all praise to my son in PDX and SF daughter for their very regular phone calls, emails, texts and bits and pieces on Facebook. They understand how bad their mom vibrates if I go too long without hearing their voices. They set the standard for good communication between people who care. Communication, communication, communication. I am proud of mee self for staying faithful to me promise to me.
And ....as the very cool waitress at my favorite Greek restaurant said last week: "If I don't sing my own praises do you think my teenagers are going to do it for me?"TTFN
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