Synchronicities and Plums

Remember the evil Gothic chick in Wizard of Oz as she moans after having a bucket of water tossed at her?

"What a world, what a world." ....and.....she melts! Big Goth puddle on the middle of the castle floor.

The phrase, "I'm melting!" has popped into my head several times a day in the past weeks. I've even kinda-sorta wanted someone to pour that bucket of water over my head. Bought some gin, jalapeno green olives and tonic water, thinking that maybe self-inflicted melting could result from a couple of icy gin and tonics with just a bit of bite at the end. Nope. Doesn't work.

Calendar is full, not finding much time to just sit and be. When I've dared to pencil in a couple of hours just for myself, someone comes along with a big fat eraser and ink!

Wiping tears from my face and biting my lip, I wonder to myself, "Where can I cut back? What can I remove from my life that creates stress or inspires my jaw to tighten and teeth to grind!"

Facebook! Yeah, that's it! I thought I'll just close my FB page. No political bamboo up my fingernails, no insomnia inducing pictures of baby abusers and animal abuses. No non-loving religious extremists shoving their beliefs down our throats. No drama!

Yes, I would miss hearing about grandchildren and keeping in touch with friends but, maybe, dumping FB could relieve some of the over abundance of  disturbing, stress-inducing....but wait! Thank goodness that I am a procrastinator!

What is this? My favorite cousin befriends me (again). Two, yes two, really good friends from long ago make contact with me. These three men have incredibly impacted my life.

One, a cousin I just adore and love. In a dark night of the soul, he unfriended almost all the cousins and some friends. I called last week and left a message on his phone....again....and he finally responded by requesting friend status! (I probably owe the request to my aunt, who knows how much I love him. She probably threatened him with time-out if he didn't respond to those of us who love him. Thank you, Auntie!)

One, a friend of at least 40+ years; a coming-of-age buddy who would sit for hours with me and discuss life's philosophies from the viewpoint of M.A.S.H., Star Trek, a Viet Nam vet and professional college student. We played poker and discussed "Suicide Is Painless," the theme from M.A.S.H. We touch base every 15 years, or so, at funerals of mutual friends and then lose touch, again. He was and is a brilliant man with a sense of humor that only brilliance can bring.

Finally, and maybe best of all, a request for 'Friends" from another fine man. My park buddy! We both sat on a non-profit board. His spirit exudes altruistic benevolence! Another friend who is brilliant and loving. Most of all, he was not afraid to sit on the steps by the river, bottle of wine, cheese, apple slices spread between us, to discuss all things of the world as we watch the river flow.
I often thought of inviting him to scoop up the apples, while I  grabbed the bottle of wine and cheese, jump into my car and run away with me.  Instead, we discussed how to make the world a better place and he has gone on to do just what he was inspired to do. The world is a better place because of him.

As often happens, right smack in the middle of a well-deserved, knuckle-dragging despondency, I am reminded of my blessings.

I have and continue to have some extraordinary people in my life. The loving women in my book club, our old Lost Weekend crowd, the music group who sat around our living room playing guitars and banjos while we sang our favorite songs (our favorite songs that were easiest to strum).  Loving cousins who rock. Good old friends who inspire and encourage. My writing buddy who motivates me and makes me laugh.

Next time I am asked "what 10 people I would want to have to dinner to eat and make merry," I will demand a much larger venue and a table that sits at least 30. I would invite you all.

In the meantime, I will keep a good bottle of Zinfandel in the pantry, apples and cheese in the fridge, a bottle of Captain Morgan and a bottle of Wild Turkey in the freezer, just in case any of the two old friend or cousin shows up at my door.  We can talk about dreams, some lost, some realized. We can discuss music, life, mountains and oceans, kids and the state of the world. You can tell me what you have been doing while I sit thinking about what a lucky person I am to know you three men and all the other good friends I have been blessed with. Thank you Facebook, for, in spite of all your faults, you make contact a possibility.

P.S.  I will also keep some plums available, just in case!