Friday night martini club

 

"And the mudslide will bring it down..." Stevie Nicks (kind of)

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving. We went to my brother Tommy's house and had such a nice time yesterday.

And today, with my second Friday off in a row, I spent Black Friday doing my absolute favorite thing to do on a Black Friday: absolutely nothing.

Certainly not shopping. That is the VERY last thing I would want to do the day after Thanksgiving. Blech.

I much prefer the idea of a "Thanksgiving coma induced lethargy" kind of day. Now there is some I can get behind. A REAL Black Friday. 24 hours of recuperation. Sock it to me, baby.

Actually, I think inspired by the birthdays of my two sisters, Kerrie and Laurie. Kerrie's birthday was on Wednesday, Laurie's on Friday. Mine is next Thursdsay (clearly mom and dad were in the mood during a certain time of the year!) 

As a result, I spent a lot of time today looking back at the past. It always happens this time of year. I was flipping back through my voluminous diaries, and happened upon the summer of 1983, one of my favorite years, just on the edge of 18.

Man, was I a detailed writer! Seriously, my journal reads like something out of Dangerous Liasons. It was nice looking back and I think actually gaining some insight, all these years later. I can see motivations. I can see trends and hints of "what happens next."

The thing about the present is, we are too self absorbed with whats going on, and too fearful of what will be, to truly enjoy it. It is only by looking back that we can truly see things as they really are. Which is why the present is truly such a gift. Just, for too many of us, not a present-day present.

I will spare you any passages in this entry. But I did share a few with some friends.

Strangely enough, it appears my brother Tommy was in an equally sentimental mood, and shared a lovely video of his son Jack being held by our beloved Nana right before she passed. Now she was truly one salty lady. I WILL share with you a very silly video, in honor of Kerrie's birthday, of me and my Nana reenacting how Kerrie met her husband. I actually have hair in the video! (But I look better balder)

And Nana was so very, very funny. I totally inherited her sense of humor.

Tonight, I raise a mudslide martini and raise a glass to the spirits of the past, and to those we love who have shaped us and made us who we are today. And to the ability to be able to capture and release those fleeting, precious moments. Looking back on my grandmother reenacting how Kerrie was proposed to or holding her grandson is a truly precious gift.

And to my Nana. Always, always, always to that sweet lovely lady who gave us Mitchell kids such a wonderful childhood.

Have a great weekend, everyone.