Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi All!
Happy Thanksgiving eve!
Tomorrow, K and I will be dancing/teaching together to a roomful of our clients and staff and I can't wait. We do it every year!
And, it always reminds me of the 'first Thanksgiving' AKA the first year Karen and I became friends...
It was 1994 and we met in Newton when she was subbing a class there and I was taking class there. We became fast friends and were at the Bertucci's in Newton one night after class. We were eating and chatting and wishing that, one day, we'd have our own Center. The Owner of that Center at the time was a real...pip. No one talked to each other before class, they just sat on their mats and read magazines, she never came out of the office until she was ready to get onstage (thereby never greeting her customers) and it was just a clicky, ridiculous atmosphere-though lots of the ladies were super nice! (There's a new owner now WHO ROCKS!)
Anyway...
The day after Thanksgiving was the first day I ever went to Karen's house to visit (I lived in Boston at the time...) and when I saw Mista from the back I thought it was her Dad!!! HAHA.
We had a fun day and lots of laughs like we always do...
And that was really the first day of our true friendship. So this time of year always reminds me...
Thereafter, she convinced me to move up here (North of Boston) and she trained me every day (towards my instructorhood) and we hung out, drank some mudslides, laughed, cooked and made Mista's life hell in general! (I had no Mista of my own back then...)
We started our classes in a Church hall that pre-dates the original Thanksgiving, I think...and moved onto a dance studio when Karen got pregnant with Kayla and we needed A/C. We still have many of the folks who danced with us back then still dancing with us now.
I put my eye on our current space (for our Center location) early on and never took my eye off it. The building was a mess, the parking lot dirt...but I had a feeling. (It had been a J Center over a decade before that)
So in early 1997 we made our move...our own Center. We moved in June 1, 1997 and had our first Thanksgiving class here (we had had 2 already in other locations) that year.
Hard to believe it's been THAT long...
We were the first to run a Thanksgiving day class and now everyone in our area does it. We also give away ONE apple pie...just one, even though they'll be, oh, 50-75 people in class. It's fun to have that one pie to give away.
Well, it's time for me to get ready for tonight's classes. We have our set all set for tomorrow-Shaking a Tail Feather for sure...
But, here's to my bestie. We've had good times and hard times...but we've done it all together. A few years ago I wasn't sure our friendship would make it...but we did. And I couldn't be more thankful!

Here it comes...

Hi Folks,
You know, sometimes there's stuff you want to post on FB and there's other times when you really just don't want to, or it's not enough space to 'explain' yourself, etc.
I guess that's what those of us that have blogs use them for!

Here it comes...the holiday season. I know there's joy and happiness and busy schedules...but there's also another side to the holidays and no one wants to talk about that. It is those holiday blues that come for some, if not all of us.

I tend to be a very upbeat person. My job is very upbeat and I am surrounded with all kinds of folks who pay for a good workout and want and deserve a positive atmosphere to enjoy while they are with us. I love my job-it has certainly kept me a 'glass half full' person where I might have been otherwise.
See, for some of us the holidays bring reminders of loss and sadness, mixed in with the peppermint mocha's and, lights and wrapping.
My Dad passed on Dec. 21 and we lost Ally, our canine baby, in November. Now, good things have happened during these months too...like Kayla being born in November and Karen and I really solidified our friendship the day after Thanksgiving...
But, I always feel myself sliding into a bit of sadness this time of year. I have to be honest. It's not every day but it's there and I just don't like it. However, I think if we talk about it, it makes it easier to handle.
Right now, I have many friends who are going through serious medical troubles. I worry about them. It brings me right back to that pit in my stomach I remember having worrying when my Dad was in the hospital all those years (decades) ago. So there's that. I don't want to worry them with my little troubles so I figured my blog was a good outlet.
You know, it's that little feeling you get when you're by yourself and you start to feel sad. You think about folks you've lost and how you miss them. Everyone around seems happy but you just feel that little 'nag' inside...
It's ok. We all feel that way sometimes but we don't talk about it. We talk about how busy we are, who is cooking or hosting the holidays, who is traveling, have you shopped, are you done? Wrapped? Is your tree up?
So when you're rushing around and forgetting to call your friends or family-take a moment and check in with them and make sure THEY are ok...especially if you know this is a time of year that's been tough for them in the past. Just call, say HI...that's all it takes.
And, if you're like me and you feel a little blue mixed in with your tinsel...surround yourself with friends and family. Plan fun things to do, even if it's driving around and looking at holiday lights in the neighborhood. Get that peppermint mocha or indulge in a special treat. Get your workouts in...that helps FOR SURE!
That's what I do. I 'turn that frown upside down' and think of all the positive things AND I think about those folks I'm missing and how they'd want me to enjoy the season.
Just don't keep it all in, ok? Let it out in whatever form works for you and reach out. You'll find a lot of support!

I know, I know...

HI All,
It's been awhile since I posted...sorry! I blog on www.chelmsford.patch.com, have FB and Twitter now I'm trying to spread things around!
Hope this finds you all with power (after our crazy a** Halloween storm) and doing well! It's been a great weather week thus far and I hope that keeps up!

Tomorrow is ONLY 2 weeks until Thanksgiving...hard to believe. We all kind of lost a week during the storm and its aftermath so I think that's why it seems like it's coming so darn fast!

I've been thinking a lot about my Dad the last few weeks. Why? Well, he was only 47 (my same age) when he passed in December 1980 and I just keep thinking...if I only had 6 weeks more to live, am I living every day and appreciating every day and telling folks how I feel about them and all that good stuff? I hope I am, I do try.
But, I look around at some people in my life, whom I do love and care for, who are wasting their time. I mean, they are wallowing in self doubt, self pity, beating themselves up about things that do not matter...throwing negativity into the world every day and basically, IMHO, wasting time. Now, I'm certainly NOT perfect in ANY way...I've got tons of flaws going on over here and I myself have days of self doubt, pity, negativity...but, I do try and pull it together and not WALLOW in it.
So, if you're reading this and you see yourself in the whole 'wallowing' bit...
Look, I get it. Life is hard. I've had REALLY hard times myself but I also know that it gets better. It does. I also know that I can always look around and realize that, no matter what I'm going through, someone else has it tougher. And, that makes me put things in perspective.
And, by the way, when you come to your last day do things like work aggravations, traffic, long lines at the store, being on hold 'forever' with customer service and all those types of things really matter? No.
I think of seeing my Dad, in the hospital, days before he died. He couldn't really talk to us because of all the tubes and I imagine what he was thinking...how he would miss us kids, his brother, his nieces and nephew...the life he had. I don't think he was thinking about how he hated traffic. I don't think he was wishing he didn't eat that bacon for breakfast. I'm sure he WAS thinking he shouldn't have smoked all those cigarettes-being that contributed to his heart condition. I don't think he was thinking about his bank balance, bank fees, what bill he didn't pay or what kind of car he drove. He wasn't worried about the clothes he wore, or if his house was bigger or nicer than anyone else's, or what he weighed and if he should be weighed less. He wasn't worried about his haircut or his job.
He was thinking of all the things he was going to miss with my brother and me. He looked at me and his eyes were saying he was sorry he couldn't stay with us, that he loved us and never forget that. I'm sure he hoped that he had taught us well, though we were kids, and that we would think of him as a good Dad...and never forget him.
So, if you're reading this and you're too focused on those things that don't matter, getting mad, being bitchy or negative about life...do me a favor ok? Think of my Dad. Think of yourself and if YOU only had, today, 6 more weeks to live. Would you keep on worrying about traffic, little slights, how much you weigh or whether you're where you're 'supposed' to be in life? Or...would you just 'be'.??
Please...just be. Be in the moment. You'll still get aggravated by things, we all do...but GET OVER IT. Don't hold onto it. It's not worth it. Enjoy your life because you just never know when you won't have it anymore. Look around at what you HAVE, not what you don't have. Appreciate all the people in your life instead of treating them like crap. What if that's the last time you talk to them? Because, you know what? They'll remember.
I remember the last thing my Dad was able to say to me before he left for the hospital for the last time.
"Don't worry, your old Dad will be fine and when I get home, we'll all go Xmas shopping."
I'm sure he also said, "I love you." but that I don't exactly remember.
We never went shopping.
But, I'll always remember how my Dad treated us. We know he loved us more than anything in this world. He was a good Dad, more laid back than you'd think. He was thoughtful and kind (and tough when he wanted/needed to be). He loved with everything and if you hurt him, he would never forget it. He was smart, funny and wise. Drill sargeant on the outside, teddy bear on the inside.
Hmmm, who does that sound like?
So, remember that people will remember how you treat them and how you made them feel.
And, hey, have a good day will ya?