What a Difference a Party Makes

Yesterday started tough. I was out of sorts getting out of bed. I felt all day like I had to pull myself back from the edge. You know those days. When people irritate you for nothing more than breathing.

These kind of days are particularly difficult days for my family because the minimal measure of patience I usually operate with is gone entirely. Everyone tries to stay out of my way - but unless they gather up their things and move out altogether, its useless.

So sorry, family. Again.

Further contributing to my irritation was the fact that we had an obligation last night. Now it is important to note that the day before, it was a party we were going to, but yesterday it turned into an obligation. And I was wishing Rica was turning 50 next year when I would certainly feel better. And besides, Rica doesn't look anything like 50 so the fact that someone was making it a big deal was frankly a little insulting to the rest of us half-centurions who, when revealing our age, don't even get the courtesy of a feigned look of surprise. So Happy damned Birthday Rica.

But happily, we went and the obligation turned back into a party.

We live in the most beautiful place in the world, Thousand Oaks/Westlake Village. We have rolling green hills and blue skies, the Santa Monica mountains, protected space, oak trees and a beautifully planned, pristine community. No window bars. No graffiti. Google us if you don't believe. And there is a neighborhood in Westlake that is on the lake and all the houses have their own boats to sail around in and it-is-sublime! So we were off to a good start when the party turned out to be there.

It was a smallish dinner party held on the deck of her ex-mother-in-law's house (yes, that's how much everyone loves Rica), right on the lake with candles and twinkle lights and nice people. We watched the sun set and it made gorgeous gold and pink colors on the water. Bob and I wound up sitting at a table with friends we have known for many years, along with a couple of new people who we really liked. We were pretty loud. Such is our nature. The primary conversation was over whether or not to legalize marijuana. Mostly - and I was surprised - the occupants at our table were for it. For the record, I am not. More interesting to me was the fact that I was the only democrat at the table (except for maybe the new people) so go figure. It just goes to show, conservatives can, under the right "influences", be the life of the party. (I'm going to catch hell for that remark - so please, all my republican friends, its just a joke.) But with that said it spawned a lively debate which was, in spite of the controversial nature of the subject matter, fun.

Also - and this was great - an old friend of ours told me, just as a matter of fact (and without any kind of flirtatious or inappropriate inference), that he thought I was beautiful. And I am going to presume that he was not talking about my mind. Not that a beautiful mind isn't something to want, but who wants to hear about it at 52?

But mostly, I just was aware. Aware of how blessed I am. Friends, my darling husband, celebration, good food, good conversation, good music, beautiful surroundings. The birthday girl was an inspiration as well. She accepted tribute after tribute with grace, laughing with ease and, with extreme good nature, laughed harder than anyone else when it was discovered (under scrutiny) that one of the photos of her that made up a displayed collage of her life, revealed a bit more of her body that one would normally present in public. I would have died. Rica, charming and lovely, thought it was hilarious. So it was. A lesson in rolling with the punches. And so, I ended my day in a much better place.

Oh those crazy 50-year-olds!!!