A mighty Big day! Or a big Mighty day

Well my body is feeling like shit and I'm not surprised!  I really pushed myself yesterday and I had a HUGE day.

I rested all day on Friday in preparation for Saturday hoping like crazy that I would be feeling ok and as fit as possible so that I could attend the Occupy Sydney Rally.  I TRULY believe that THIS is our chance to try to make a difference.  Now is the time for moderate, ordinary people to stand up and be counted and damn-it I'm going to be one of them!   In spite of the inconvenience, in spite of the pain, in spite of the cost, in spite of the small difference one person can make - I WENT.

My old friend from kindergarten, I'll call her The Reader couldn't make it, though I forgive her and fully understand why, but my other friend from high school, The Radical, was there which was excellent!  I found a seat and listened to the speakers occasionally joining in the chanted responses... "whose streets? OUR STREETS" "whose world? OUR WORLD" and when the group took off like a herd of turtles up George St I ambled along, stick in hand.  We didn't "march" (I use the word very loosely) far, only about 4 blocks.  At one point I shortened my route by cutting through an upscale mall (the MLC Centre) and enjoyed the respite of the shade and the escalator capitalism offered me (LOL - the irony wasn't lost on me even as I hobbled past Gucci, Cartier and Louis Vuitton).  I was pretty exhausted by the time we reached the assembly point so I didn't stay long there.  However an interesting thing happened on my way up George St - I was interviewed by the nightly news people (not Murdoch or Packer LOL) and although they used my least coherent snippet I did make it into the newscast.  Rats - I was going to put the link in and tell you where to find me but it directs to a more recent story now! ( The Best Friend managed to catch the story and said I should commiserate with Obama that they chose the wrong soundbite.)  I think they approached me because of my grey hair and walking stick, little did they know, I launched freely with "I'm not against capitalism but I am against corporate greed, there is a gross inequity in the distribution of wealth in our society, the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poorer and it's wrong..."  I suspect I wasn't quite the dithering, benign woman they were expecting.  The bit they chose to show was something like "there needs to be more sharing of the wealth"... oh well.

The need to be horizontal was becoming overwhelming, I'm like a drug addict needing a fix, so I had a lie down on the back seat of my car while I waited to pick another old friend up at the train station.  She was delayed by the trains and as much as I was busting to see her I was really glad to have the extra time to rest.

I don't know where to begin to tell you about my wonderful evening!  I literally laughed so much my sides are aching (and Felix the Cat was not present!).  Thirty years ago, when I was a university student for the first time I met an incredible woman, let's call her The Lioness.  We were working on a student theatre production together, I was acting and she was doing costume and set designing, and instantly we became friends forever. She is a person who exudes kindness, love and good humour.  Well back in 1981 she took me back to her house where she lived in share accommodation with a tribe of people and there I met a woman who was to become another of my best "friends forever" friends, let's call her, The Actress.  One of the housemates, who now lives in the US, is a close phone/internet friend still, and another, who I didn't know quite as well but whom I always enjoyed I shall call, The Scientist.  Last night the four of us who are in  Australia met for the evening.

I can't remember (not kidding here) the last time I had such a wonderful evening, the last time I laughed so much, the last time laughter and good company took most of my aches and pains away (probably aided by a few libations LOL).  That amount of laughter is dangerous for middle-aged women who have given birth!  Even now as I try to think of ways to convey the amusement I am laughing.  The Lioness, who happens to be 5' 10" and slender, getting escorted to the ladies room (a novel experience) by a little Chinese waiter was one hilarious moment... on her return to the table upon inquiry about her escort it was explained that there is a code to get back in from the bathroom and he tried to show her but she "can't see and can't remember" so he just provided an escort instead.  The Actress was wearing a pair of simply divine bright red high heels and so she became "Dorothy" for the evening followed by The Lioness (Lion), The Scientist, who is brilliant by any estimation, (she asked what the Scarecrow, wanted, to which I replied - "a brain!") and me, with my crunchy creaky body (Tin Man) and we followed the yellow brick road around Chinatown and eventually back to The Actress's house where we got to have dessert and a cuppa with her wonderful hubby, The Percussionist.

This period of my life has been quite unusual.  I don't have any new friends at the moment (aside from my beloved mates on the other side of the computer screen!)  I spend my time, when I do socialize with people I have known for ALL of my adult life and in some cases most of my entire life.  Usually we have had long breaks in our contact, heaven knows I am a poor friend in that department,  I leave it too long, get busy, feel like I have nothing of value to contribute, move to the other side of the planet, a million strange and twisted feelings prevent me from maintaining regular contact.  Yet here they are, this collection of extraordinary women who I was fortunate enough to befriend in my youth, they are amazing, and beautiful, and funny, and loving, and quite frankly they are everything anyone would want in a friend.  It makes me feel unworthy but still so damn lucky.

We are texting backwards and forwards today someone clever (The Scientist, quelle suprise!) seems to have figured out how to text everyone at once.  The laughter and warmth survives despite the long time it has been between drinks.  But it isn't just these three...  It's The Reader, The Radical, The Best Friend, The Horsewoman, The Ex Girlfriend (X2 LOL), The Separatist, these are the incredible women I have rediscovered and I am going to do everything I can to never get so far away from them again.