“How lucky am I to have something so special, that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
winnie the pooh/ a.a. milne
For the past few years, I’ve been grieving a major loss. As I’m coming upon marking another year past without my loved one, I’m struggling. I want to apply this quote to her. I want to celebrate how lucky I was to have her in my life. I want to focus on the good, accept that life goes on, and cherish the happy memories. I feel like I’m making some progress. Every day I take a step in the right direction, learning to live without her here.
But right now even knowing how lucky I am to love someone so much that saying goodbye is hard, I ache.
A friend is someone who helps you up when you’re down, and if they can’t, they lay down beside you and listen.
Winnie the pooh/ a.a. milne
I have been blessed with the best of best friends. We have been through it all together and we are still going strong. No topic is off the table. Family, health, work, life….even intimate (gasp!) matters. I will drop everything to be by their sides or at the very minimum be on the phone when they need me and they have returned the favor.
Friend is a word that seems to be tossed about pretty casually these days and I’ll admit I am guilty of doing the same. There are different “levels” of friends- not that I’m ranking people. I’ve found that I have acquaintances whom with I’m friendly. It’s pleasant to see them from time to time and catch up on life. There are common bond friends, such as Mom friends or work friends- the ones you are in the trenches with, sharing your stories, getting and giving advice, commiserating. I love spending time with childhood friends. There’s nothing like chatting with someone who knew you when you were a gawky shy seven-year-old!
But nothing beats those best friends. They’ve been there for me for what feels like forever. They have been patient with me throughout my ongoing pandemic anxiety, my worrying about my kids time, my ranting over an unfair court system, and every high or low I share with them. I hope I’m returning the favor to them. Goodness knows I’m trying!
“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
Christopher Robin/ A.A. Milne
This quote is a family favorite and is a mantra that at least two of us use to remind ourselves of this simple truth. I don’t know about you but I’m pretty hard on myself. Probably harder than most anyone else in my life is with me. I need to remind myself that I’m a bit more than the unpleasant thoughts that creep into my mind from time to time.
ZOOM first aired on tv in 1972. It was mostly unscripted with an all child cast. It wasn’t a spring board for child stars- in fact the children’s contracts restricted them from making any tv appearances or commercials for three years after they left the show. The children did not stay on the show long, either because of age or being on “enough” episodes. They did not want “stars” on the show although some of the kids were more popular than others.
I remember Bernadette and her cool arm movements. I cannot describe these movements but they are memorable. In my research looking around for her arm thingies, I discovered that some of the former Zoomers (now parents theirselves) had made Zoom like videos called “ZOOM Into Action. I’ve added Bernadette’s video- complete with her arm thingie at the beginning of her intro.
ZOOM was unique because it was mostly unscripted and there were no adults on the show. I felt like I could relate to the kids on the screen because they seemed like kids I might find in my school.
I can’t believe I made it through the entire month of Blogging From A to Z! It was my most effortless attempt and although it did not produce any amazing writing, it did bring back many fond memories.
I’ve wanted to use the 1970’s as a theme for a few years now. I’m glad that it worked out!!
I was sixteen when Grease was released in movie theaters. If that wasn’t the perfect age for this movie, I’m not sure what was! From the first viewing, I fell in love with all of it. The fifties vibes. The clothes. The music. The characters AND the actors. The story. Who couldn’t fall for the love story of Danny and Sandy?
Torn apart by their differences, “You’re the One That I Want” is the perfect showcase for their open display of how far they are willing to go to be what the other one wants them to be and realizing they didn’t have to change at all. Watching this video now, it doesn’t seem quite as risque as I remembered as a teenager.
I had the record album, which I played to death. I burned off endless calories performing along with all of the songs- sometimes with my siblings in tow. This always wound up with bickering over who could play each part. (And my baby sister in tears because she was always too young and small to play Sandy or Rizzo, the ultimate bad girl with the heart of gold.)
We all became 1950’s greasers when it was time to sing “Greased Lightning” and dreamy swoony girls over “Beauty School Drop Out.”
And to this day, my absolute favorite quote of the movie is-
“You can’t just walk out of a drive-in!” -Danny Zuko
Writing this post makes me want to watch it again. I’ve sat here with a smile on my face the entire time. What a happy memory!
Dandelion Fuzz 