There’s something to be said for experiencing a widely varied life where you might be called on to use the correct fork or drill holes in a concrete wall to put up a shelf. It’s comforting to know that you can try to handle most things or are willing to ask for help. It’s rarer for women than men to fend for themselves this way.
I went out with two lovely friends who embody being flexible, intelligent, and confident. I dressed up but it turns out it really wasn’t a dressy affair. Still, it was nice to put on clothes I so rarely wear any more. We got to the restaurant at 3PM: late for lunch and early for dinner. We all ordered specialty drinks. I’m a terrible afternoon drinker but was willing to risk a good night’s sleep for a Sazerac.
Lily had an Old Fashioned and Rita had a Pet Rabbit: Gin and Mescal and lots of other headache inducing alcohol things made the Rabbit a delicate pink. “After all,” Rita said with a wink, “It’s close to Easter.” We started with an appetizer because we all agreed that we seldom choose one. We laughed and shared stories about growing older and how many things about aging surprised us. Our faces reflected the joy of just being there in the moment with one another.
One by one we excused ourselves to visit the facilities. On my turn, the handle on the toilet didn’t move afterward. I’ve fixed a fair amount of toilets in my day and I suspected I knew what was wrong. Standing there in my high heels and lovely dress, I whipped the top off the tank and sure enough, the chain that raised and lowered the flapper had slipped off. Except it wasn’t a chain it was a cheesy piece of wire. Tsk, tsk. I grabbed the wire and twisted it around and through the hole on the flapper arm and the toilet flushed like it a champ. On went the tank lid, extra wash to the hands and then back to the table to talk about…
See? I could have left it but I’m a competent and take-charge sort of person. Like you if you want to be. There’s little more satisfying than fixing something and moving on. Except for a great, relaxed meal with sweet, witty, old friends on a sunny cold day at the end of March. I never even told them of my adventure.
Life is full of surprising moments, surprising facts and thoughts and people. I’d love to help you work through a decision or plan a path to doing what you’ve always wanted. Curious? You can contact me here for more info.: Work With Me Love stories, humor and so forth? Click here to subscribe to the weekly: Subscribe
