My First Best Friend
My first best friend is Awful Ann—
she socked me in the eye.
My second best is Sneaky Sam—
he tried to swipe my pie.
My third best friend is Max the Rat—
he trampled on my toes.
My fourth best friend is Nasty Nell—
She almost broke my nose.
My fifth best friend is Ted the Toad—
he kicked me in the knee.
My sixth best friend is Grumpy Gail—
she's always mean to me.
My seventh best is Monster Moe—
he often plays too rough.
That's all the friends I've got right
now—
I think I've got enough.
I love this poem almost as
much as I love my friends. In the poem’s case it gives a clear message that
sometimes it is wise to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Our
friends have never done any of the above. Though my friend, Ginger, will regale
you with the tale of when I tossed a quarter to her and hit her in the eye. Not
sure if that makes me Awful Ann, Nasty Nell, or Grumpy Gail.
We enjoyed a lovely meal
and visit with a few of our ‘best’ friends last night. We had prepared lamb shanks
cooked in wine, mushrooms, garlic, onions and tomatoes, pork loin with apricot
horseradish sauce, and mashed potatoes. Our guests contributed a green bean
casserole, a mixed vegetable dish, a green salad, and sweet potato pie with whipped
cream.
These particular friends
are a mixture of old and new. We have known the Smiths for around 30 years,
they introduced us to the Gordons about 10 years ago, and we introduced them to
our friends Elizabeth and Dave last night. They had met Elizabeth at a prior dinner,
so we wanted to introduce them to Dave.
It is a very interesting
group consisting of a retired law enforcement person with the Department of
Justice and a second career in investigating Medicare fraud (lawyer) who also
volunteers with the Civil Air Patrol, a semi-retired medical doctor (he also
has done quite a bit of volunteer medical work in the Philippines), a lawyer
with a background in human resources and former California political appointee,
a PHD food scientist now working for a biotech firm, a person who worked in
educational philanthropy for most of her career, and Joe and another person who
built sensors that have been in space, deep sea exploration, and numerous industrial
and academic research programs. Then me. Conversation always flows freely.
Conversations about travels,
children, grandchildren, and life experiences.
I love these people. Their
energy is calm, sincere, and stimulating all at the same time. Last night we laughed
a lot over shared stories (told by husbands) of misadventures in putting away
dishes or utensils in wrong drawers. Maybe you had to be there. Here were all
of these highly, educated, sweet (they all are kind) men offering up the
actions that have made their wives a bit frustrated at times. Everyone of them
had a story to share and there was definitely bonding going on. They ended the
evening by traipsing out to the garage to check out Joe’s tool boxes. Not mind
you, because they are all into tools. More to support him in sympathy for our inventory
project.
We have always enjoyed
hosting dinners for friends. In retirement it is different in that it feels
like we have all of the time in the world to prepare. No rushing home after
work to cook or clean. The preparation in the past felt like an end to a means –
we enjoyed the company of our friends. This time I actually enjoyed the act of
preparing for the evening.
In two weeks, we will host another
dinner with a group made up of younger friends and it will be another delightful
evening. This group has decided we will have a mystery dinner. Everyone will
bring whatever they want to share, and nobody is permitted to tell anyone else
what they are bringing. I wouldn’t be surprised if they all bring macaroni and
cheese – one of this crowd’s favorite dishes.
When I look at the
abundance in our lives, I remind myself that we have been blessed with friends
who continue to stay connected and bless us with their stories and time.
❤
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