Judy Gomberg puts a funny, heartfelt and humorous spin on being a boomer. She beautifully captures the songs of our lives as our memories grow longer, deeper and stronger.
As you are on the way down traveling south past your new hip, you might bypass the pins and screws in your knee or perhaps an ankle. Destination our newly coiffed toe nails. We stopped at Dr. You Nailed this before we picked up six bialys to freeze from The Boys.
We change our top, put on some lipstick and get ready to meet at Poppies for the early bird dinner/lunch for tomorrow.
We ask to have our table changed a few times as the A/C was blowing right on us. We put on the new cardigan sweater we got at the Flea Market on Sample Rd. After we pool our medical updates and order a cocktail we ask for the bread to be heated. We then wait for 20 minutes until we see our waiter again. Ok then, the conversation ensues with a new pill for this, a new procedure for that. As long as our “funny bone” is intact- we got this. A tennis game, a round of golf a stretch class or two. We acclimate to the “back nine” with our new cataract less foresight, becoming our new hindsight. So just for today we will put on our prescription less rose colored glasses. We will go to the we got lucky dept. at Bloomingdales and be grateful as when learn a table opened up at the new Mediterranean restaurant on Federal Highway. They give us all the hummus and Baba ganoush we can eat as we watch the belly dancer shake her age appropriate belly fat from table to table. 😎 So glad you are at our table again. Have a great Tuesday- aka senior discount day at Publix.
Tennessee Williams wrote “snatching the eternal out of the fleeting is the great magic trick of human existence.” Who has the sign up sheet for that trick? How many times have we aspired to carpe diem-and una vita vivere (one life to live) adages that we extracted from the “you never know category.” Too many times we immerse ourselves in the possibility that second chances happen often. Can we all love better, care more and buoy those in need? On the daily we become mired in our own discomforts and morph the ephemeral into the permanent. So just for today, in a nothing stays the same fashion, lighten your load by adding something grand to change the alchemy of your woes. Catch up with an old friend and really lend your ear. Perhaps enjoy the majesty of a glorious sunset. In the you never know category, we don‘t. Saturday strong. Bh
Is Everyone in the Building Making Stuffed Cabbage? Carl Reiner repost I wrote June 29 2020. It’s a Go to Humor kind of day.
“Oh G-d” (1977), The “2000 year old man,” enters the Pearly Gates Laughing. Estelle Reiner, his wife said it best at Katz’s Deli, “I’ll have what she’s having.” She was married for 64 yrs. to the controller at Rancho Conejo. 98 years funny, he certainly had “The Thrill of it All.” When Morey Amsterdam and Rose Marie reworded phrases to get the rhythm right on The Alan Brady show Carl Reiner called it a Wrap. We knew when Rob Petrie tripped into our living rooms each week on the eponymous “Dick Van Dyke Show” it was really his “Show of Shows.” Norman Lear’s line in Carl Reiner’s 2017 documentary on aging, “If You’re Not in the Obit, Eat Breakfast, was how he lived. So today Carl, we’ll have our coffee with cream and a little oatmeal in your honor. His credo was “ find your hammock and live in the now.” The transition of time in between “ok, it’s over, to what’s next,” is when his productivity kicked in. HBO featured the documentary- on demand it if you can. The cast of characters, the best of the best. Mel Brooks is hysterical, Dick Van Dyke dances, Norman Lear is brilliant and Carl Reiner’s direction and hosting ever so warm and welcoming. When it was filmed in 2017 they were all Nonagenarians. One thing distinctly portrayed in this work of long livers is that they were passionate and fell in love with lots of things. So Carl we imagine as you enter the pearly gates, we will hear you say to G-d, “so Divine One, if you were commanding a performance your timing was propitious as “The Russians are coming, The Russians are coming”- in this “Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I will pass the baton on to my son Rob and remind him of the line written in 1963 for “it’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. “And in a democracy, it don’t matter how stupid you are, you still get an equal share.” RIP Mr. Reiner -well done.
Let’s live in the moment. As Life passes us by. Take our eyes off our phones. We’ll give it a try. The hours we are missing turn into days and then weeks. While sitting and dining with our closest of peeps. The abundance of notices through a ring or a chime. Distinguishing sounds as our anticipation climbs. An email, a text, a memory comes through. Socializing through electronics is just what we do. We glance at the table our phones perched on top. We have tried not to look but we just couldn’t stop. Put down your iPads and follow along. We missed what you said, our addictions that strong. So just for today we will silence our phones. Cause what’s that important till we get home? We might miss a picture from 2018, or a Brooks Brothers coupon to purchase something green.
You’ll know there are 6 more weeks in Boca. So whad ya do this week-end? This musing is inspired by Brad Zimmerman. And just who is this Brad guy? Here goes. A sixty something, in great shape guy whose claim to fame is that he opened for Joan Rivers in Atlantic City, before the days of progressive wheel of fortune slots. Love those! (Shout out to Robo.) He’s a New Jersey guy, way of New York, schmoozing his way on Florida stages. Joan Rivers one- liner to him was and I quote ” you are the funniest comic I ever worked with in your price range.” We laughed and then we cried through the evening. He is still waiting for his career to amount to more than bupkes. Also, if his girlfriend Amy from high school gets divorced perhaps he’ll marry her. A Zuchen Vey. Brad’s stereotypical Jewish mother is still giving him “what for’s.” How lucky to still have her nudging him and reminding him he’s not a shmendrik. Her question to him now, ” so when are you going to get off the stage and give me a grandchild? We left after 90 minutes, no intermission, yes we used the facilities beforehand. I kept thinking on our way to get some key lime pie and a nite cap, if only he went into his father’s furniture business he might not be standing alone on a small stage in Palm Beach Gardens. His spiel was audible when the forced A/C wasn’t noisy. Vayismir. Getting to the theater a bit of a gantseh magilla- but not to worry, we don’t shvitz the small stuff.
It was a humor filled, delightful evening. His shtick had a cute gimmick. The evening was so reminiscent of our days of growing up with similar emotional hand me downs. I can’t type fast enough, I could plotz.
Earlier in the day we spaetzered around The West Palm Beach Antique Fair.
You shouldn’t know from the thrill-big, huge. With every piece of schmutz on every amber glass bowl our endorphins rose to sea level. We sifted through the tchatchkes, the thigamabobs and the doodads. If you haven’t left me yet it’s over soon enough. Trust me, oy. We bought a few things, you’ll see below.
And then we knew we arrived –over the free, fluffy marble cake samples placed in front of us at Flakowitz. Uh, the look on my husband’s face priceless. His favorite. Does it get better? Ok, listen up. We had a Flagel and a schmear and we were off. We were on our way to play canasta with that new couple we met on line at Costco. I don’t, know, maybe, could be the early birds shadow portends to more then 6 weeks in Boca. I’ll get back to you later.
“When I was just a little girl I asked my mother what will I be? Here’s what she said to me. Que sera, sera, whatever will be will be. The future’s not ours to see. Que sera, sera. What will be will be.”
And then she let go of my hand and “what will be” became what is.
How much easier life would be if we had a crystal ball for which to see. The future unfold before it came. Minimize the struggles, our choice of game. Challenges and misfortunes factored into the fold. Gives us our backbone, our strength to behold.
With times so uncertain, a future unclear. Our nearest and dearest become more clear. But just for a moment with a dream in place. Take away the name, add a new face. If we could throw our troubles back into a pot. Would we accept beshart? Be grateful for what we got? I suppose we would, but just for today. With a dream, a prayer and fantasy intact. We’d trade some for sure, not take ours back. With less of that and more of this. Our hardships, our strife wouldn’t be missed. As fate unfurled, at our front door. The cards were dealt, we tallied the score. Divine order in place, sensibility kicked in. Focused on blessings, called it a Win.
“When I grew up and fell in love, I asked my sweetheart, what lies ahead? Will we have rainbows, Day after day. Here’s what my sweetheart said- Que sera, sera Whatever will be will be, The future’s not ours to see Que sera, sera” Make it a good Monday!
Alright 23 show us what’s on “tap.” Right-left-right cha cha cha. 22’s about to wrap. Let’s do the hokey pokey. Double down and bet the store. We ‘ll turn on the victrola. And dance across the floor. A little twist and hully gully. If that’s what it will take. Then we’ll lindy hop and jitterbug. No more dancing just in place. Hit the ground and sprint ahead. Add input to affect a change. Come on boogie woogie bugle boy. The top man of your craft. “Stroll”into the New Year and bring along your draft. Let’s “tap” into the Bossa Nova. Rock and Roll and “all that jazz.” Bunny hop and two step. Swing dance with great pizzazz. Step one, dance two. Shouts The Chorus from the line. Fine tune an Arabesque, stay on Pointe and redefine. Add elbow grease to team effort. Realign your goals in mind. Offering a leg up, if anyone falls behind. So as you chasse across the finish line. Or Fred Astaire across the ceiling. We will welcome in this brand new year. Position one as we are kneeling. Hit it Elton. “So goodbye yellow brick road. Where the dogs of society howl. You can’t plant me in your penthouse. I’m going back to my plough.”
We’ll take Flip It! For $1000 Please- Hold our place in line. Raw end of the stick or right end of reality? Go over there and put your excuses in the “Doesn’t hold water bucket.” It contains and we quote – We couldn’t find your number, we lost our phone, we already found a 4th or 5th for the game, we thought it was Sunday and made another plan. We overbooked. You’re not our cup of tea. You press the wrong buttons in us. The victims club has closed membership. Bastante!
“I’ve looked at clouds from both sides now. From up and down and still somehow. It’s clouds illusions we recall. I really don’t know clouds at all.” Oh, Judy Collins, both sides now, indeed. Lessons come wrapped in perfectly sealed, beautifully ribboned packages, laced with hope. Sometimes. Once burned adages streaming in double digits. Option “Turn it off”- thank you Elder McKinley. The song from Book of Mormons. ” I got a feeling, that you could be feeling, a whole lot better than you feel today. You say you got a problem, well that’s no problem. It’s super easy not to feel that way.”
By the way next to the bucket that holds no water, there is a forgive everyone everything line. Our world is in an inflammatory state of chaos as it streamlines havoc.
Hold on tightly, pay if forward and make someone else’s Thursday good!
arosebyanyothername2016 