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.
“Wasn’t it yesterday we used to laugh at the wind behind us? Didn’t we run away and hope that time wouldn’t try to find us? We might not have tomorrow, but we had yesterday.” And the memories linger on.
We all got the memo. We showed up brought a wing and a prayer in hope that revisiting the site of our youth would play out without too much disappointment. The evening more than overrode the old adage “you can never go home.” We theoretically put on our tennis sweaters, madras shirts and bass weejun penny loafers mentality and double hugged each other. (pre-covid.)
With cataract improved vision we entered the time machine and there we were, the place the cafeteria at PHS, the late 60’s only obvious difference was cocktails replaced chocolate milk.
And so the juke box of our past, that held all our secrets, preconceived notions and memories of who stood with who before the bell rang and our days began, was replaced with the here and now.
The beauty of last eve was we were all one. We talked over each other, left quick catch up stories mid stream to get up and sit next to another very familiar face. Perhaps our personas remain in tact but our storied lives over the past “50” holy mackerel years have added the depth and Kodachrome patina that adds to our allure, our glow.
We held on tightly to the remember whens and were equally glad to share pictures of our children and grandchildren. The sense was that we were on a veritiable speed date, get all you can at the supermarket game before the buzzer sounds.
There were no behind our back whispers, only sincere confessions of how very thrilled we were as we looked around the table and stole visual moments of our youth. “So do you think there were other towns like Passaic that offer this kind of welcoming,”was the ever present buzz throughout the night. Was it something in the Passaic River, or Rutts relish? Perhaps Awful, Awfuls or the steak sandwiches on Friday nights at The Bonfire in Paterson. We marveled at how well we looked in the absence of not too much Botox. There was no height requirement to get on the ride and exhume a very big piece that fills the shadow box on our mantles.
My take away as I debrief the evening was how easy it was to pay subtle attention to who ordered the dressing on the side, as we were really all there for the main course. I’ll double down this time and go for seconds. “Oh what a Night.”
Fast forward to this coming week at the local bagel shop in Boca. Several of us will meet at 12:00 to grab heart racing moments with a bagel and a schmear. Have a good Saturday!
No Smoking Zone-Lucky Strike strike me lucky. We pulled into a New-port- got up onto our Camel rode off toward Parliament turned onto Marlboro Plaza corner of Salem Square and ran into the Kent of Earl. All the while hoping our Chesterfield coat kept us warm and made us look Kool. We’ve come a long way baby- my has Virginia gotten Slim. Phew! Gratitude turns what we have into enough-
And now Colorado Springs -The fatal rampage inside Club Q-
“That certain night , the night we met, there was magic abroad in the air. There were angels dining at the Ritz- “And a Nightingale Sang in Barclay Square.” Words by Eric Maschwitz, music by Manning Sherwin. The song was written in 1939 in a French fishing village Le Lavandou right before the outbreak of the Second World War. Fast forward— On a steamy week-end eve you get dressed, put on your lipstick, turn off your music and walk out the door. You look forward to debriefing the week with a friend and meeting some new friends. You’re all set to chill in a high energy, safe haven club, on your local Barclay Square- the nightingales were singing. Dry martinis, familiar faces and music you listen to at home and know every word to. A perfect design for a five-star time. One would think. And then the World According to Garp doesn’t happen. No Lin Manuel, THESE senseless acts of tragedy are what is “promised.” Our promised land nearly 70 years after World War Two- on the the doorstep of World War Three. “Praising Isis, Gunman attacks Gay Nightclub, leaving 50 dead in worst shooting on U.S.Soil. Yes, on U.S.soil again and again. We scream in horror, we cry in disbelief as one more lunatic walks into one more gun shop and puts down one more stolen credit card. We then pay dearly for the laws that govern the strongest nation on earth. We pray for the insane and fund them in jail after they take away our freedom of choice, as to which place to dance the night away–that takes our Life away. In concentration camp like fashion we become prisoners of the loose cannon, suicide bombers who live to die. The adage of ” do guns kill people or do people kill people” is center stage again today.. One avenue for slaughter is 18 year olds being allowed to buy murder weapons. How long is congress on sabbatical from revising laws on buying over the counter rifles in a store that houses beef jerky too? Dear G-d please look in our direction. We need our backs covered and we are willing to double down for this.
Disneyland, Disney World add dolls in wheelchairs to ‘It’s a Small World’ attraction
They had no more raisin bran muffins left at our local deli so we went to corn, Plan B. The restaurant only had a 6:00 or 9:30 time slot available to dine. So yes, we went to Plan B. The bus was really overcrowded so we waited for the next one- Another Plan B decision. One and done meager alternative are you kidding me choices .
Up early, in a time to make the donuts moment we watched the news as Christina Applegate, (Married with Children! Etc.) received her Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was barefoot and being held by her co-star Katey Segal. She was grateful and weepy as she explained her latest diagnosis of MS.
In 2008 she had a prophylactic double mastectomy after finding an early stage tumor and receiving a BRCA1 Genetic Mutation diagnosis.
We binged watched her performance in the Dead to Me, tv series. What is touted as her best and funniest work, Anchorman, with Will Ferrell there were laugh out loud moments.
She is a versatile actress. Funny, clever, engaging and relatable.
Her BRCA1 diagnosis makes her most relatable as our family is riddled with this deleterious mutation. Familiar indeed to surgeries and the aftermath.
In the everyone got something category we work with what we got and do all we can. Praying all the way to the new bra dept.
Fast Forward- as we drank our early morning coffee and read the newspaper we came upon the story about Dolls in Wheelchairs at Disney.
This newly added diversity representing a population of children, who in the everyone got something category live with the physical limitation of getting up and walking to the next exhibit.
In 2019 Ali Stoker (first caught our attention on Glee) was the first person on Broadway to perform from her wheelchair. She was paralyzed since youth from a spinal cord injury as a result of a car accident. She never begrudged her fate, studied performance art and went the distance, sitting down. If anything her disability served as a motivator and helped propel her all the way to her Tony winning performance in Oklahoma.
Ali Stoker has since become part of the #AerieREAL Role Model Campaign. It is a body positive and inclusivity initiative led by the underwear retailer Aerie. The campaign highlights a diverse group of women from varied industries and backgrounds and uses their unretouched photos in ads.
So just for today let’s embrace our individuality, mix in our limitations and remember when it comes down to it- “It’s a small world after all.”
Dale Carnegie won friends and influenced people he never met. His basic principle to aim for cheerful friendliness and approach things with zero ambiguity. Pushy tactics are not necessary when you carry your own concept of yourself. “Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.” His book has gone the distance on the daily, like our morning coffee, Al Rokers weather report and scrolling through Instagram. Eliminating gossip and judgements leaves time for forwarding junk emails to 10 people as an opportunity to win the lottery. Lol.
His suggestions served as the prototype for all The Chicken Soup for the Soul publications. Helen Gurley Brown in her Cosmopolitan style, told it like it was as career and love life merged, through red lipstick and panty hose and we paid close attention. We watched, we must confess, early on when Phil Donahue met “That Girl” and interviewed Jean Nidetch (founder of Weight Watchers.) We learned the value of zero point foods and loosing some lbs.
Back to -Oh Dale, how your words resonated loud and clear upon first read and today when we need a reminder or two. That unpleasant look from so and so the other day had everything to do with them and very little to do with us. People project their feelings and own bias when their defending the one side of the story they didn’t hear.
We long for the long ago days when we walked into the candy store and put the new Betty and Veronica, Little Dot and Archie comics on the counter next to our bazooka and twizzler treats. How bout the primordial smells of the gum in the pack of baseball cards that one of the kids on your block shared with you? The very familiar smell of a brand new spalding ball lingers on in our bag of childhood memories. We believe our first art lesson was on Etch a Sketch, and early writing lessons happened through creating stories of where Barbie and Ken will go on their honeymoon. We thought Bermuda would be nice.
One guilty pleasure we recall was chewing double bubble, piece after piece (not knowing we were helping our dentist enjoy his summer home with each bubble that landed smack across our faces.) Oh the 60’s where art thou now? Our world is bleeding out of control. Shootings on college campuses, in our local grocery stores and our grade schools are coming with rapid fire speed.
Fear when we walk down the block and into our CVS to find shampoo locked up is our new normal. PTSD, insomnia and binge eating a deleterious trifecta too common in our everyday. So Dale- just for today we will “Get busy, keep busy. it’s the cheapest kind of medicine there is on earth- and one of the best.” Thanks, Mr. Carnegie we’re in.
Dear Jamesy Gom, We watch your strides so long. Your hair “flows” out of its helmet, Your “A” game far and long. Your “cycling” of the “biscuit” as you “Bar Down” into the net. A cause for a “celly” we are busting from the get. You got the rink covered, The opponents can surely tell. While your friends were playing checkers in theory, Your chess game very strong. You are such a talented hockey dude. Center rink is where you belong.
