Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Friend day
Yesterday was my get-together-with-a-friend day. I started with lunch at First Watch with Vicki, whom I have known since around 1988. We worked together at a local hospital that had hired me to update their Psychiatric services. The goal was to introduce a range of treatments and therapeutic activities for patients as they recovered from mental illnesses or chemical dependency problems. We worked side by side for 7 years as our responsibilities expanded to include other campuses in our system.
It was not an easy job to go into a place that had done things a certain way for years. Some staff members were more than ready for a change, but many did not want the aggravation of learning new skills and changing their routines. One of the department heads went to the CEO of the hospital and complained that she was being asked to do the impossible. She had worked there a long time and felt herself entitled to take time off whenever she wanted, and, as it turned out, she was stealing supplies from her department and using them at home for a second business. I had to do a lot of talking to convince the CEO of the reality of the woman’s work performance. Vicki was involved as well since she was the woman’s direct supervisor. There was a time when Vicki and I felt as if we might lose our jobs over this, but we gathered information and built a strong case.
So we have remained friends for 35 years. We did have a falling out that was mostly my fault and for a couple of years there was no communication between us. I have apologized for my behavior and we have rekindled that easy feeling that goes with being in the company of a good friend. I am grateful.
The next event was a small dinner party at our house last night. Three wonderful friends came over and we ate and drank and laughed and sat around the table for several hours. Even Mollie Dog was entertained – usually she nervously runs circles around the house when there are other people present and won’t come near anyone. But she knows these friends and will approach them for pats and ear rubbings.
We sat around the table after dinner and solved most of the world’s problems. There is nothing like a gaggle of mature women with tons of life experience to talk common sense solutions to the harsh realities of life on planet Earth. We discussed Uncle Joe and what each thought of the possibility that he will run for office in 2024. We are all disappointed that Kamala Harris has gotten so little press that we aren’t sure just what her role is supposed to be, or what she may have accomplished thus far.
We talked about movies, our children, family stuff, immigration, politics and politicians, food and wine, and the value of spending time together. I did more listening and observing than talking. It was heart-warming to look around the table at people that I love dearly, for whom I would do just about anything. I have known each of them for several decades and deeply appreciate our steadfast relationships. They are what I’ve heard called my “chosen family”. We do not share DNA or bloodlines, but we are a meaningful presence in each other’s lives. It doesn’t get much better than this.