Heading north from Mayfield, I gingerly drove through dark—both hands gripping a still-cold wheel. The speaker phone was on and I spoke with one of my favorite people.
“You know, Bruce, “ she sighed…”I’m at the age where if there’s something I want to do I’m going to try and do it!”
I kept listening….
“And why not? My kids will always be my kids—I’m there for them.”
“Yeah, ”I shot profoundly, (not so much at a loss for words as ensconced in thought—the thought that I too should take time, as appropriate, to do what I want).
“OK, “ I asked, “What DO you want to do?”
Silence. Perhaps she was ignoring the question; I couldn’t hear if she was thinking. Then more silence. Finally, the lady answered (as Jews usually do)…with a question:
“What do YOU want to do?”
My response came swiftly, but, (as Weiskopf would say, perhaps it was too lawyer-like):
“Excluding things I can’t control—like peace in the family, health. Just talking about things I can get done. There’s no place I want to go…Nothing I HAVE to do.”
Now she listened. And I continued…on a roll—–
“I just want to be with people I want to be with. Maybe warm weather. That’s enough.”
(There. I was done. THAT’S what I wanted to do. Good people-good weather).
Her thoughts by now were ready for prime time:
“Me? I want to be near the water.”
“I don’t want to travel,” I countered, (quietly thinking: Why is it everyone wants to see the world but no one wants to be called “tourist”? I live with no burning desire to see any one thing! Wieder can hit Cambodia and Fenton can safari Africa. Treinish? Let him scale the Andes. Give me Florida sun, Michael and Jason at another Vegas Sit N Go, call me shallow, and just let me be!)
She interrupted my internal soliloquy with more sharing: “I’m not a traveler either, but I do like water.” (Like water? The woman must love it. She told me the same thing twice in five minutes).
The subject slid to the verities of our existences: her kids, my kids,
life…and then, a good talk had, we hung up.
I’m singing Kareoke tonight. In Cleveland, Ohio. Not because it’s new and exciting, but because Hal, Margie and the girls will be there. It’s called being with people you want to be with.
And that’s all I really want to do.
It was a fun night! And I was NOT upset that Sheila was there. The more wackiness, the better. We’ll all have to do this again sometime.