Hello You! How’s your week been? I’ve been away from my studio, up in the big city for a giddy round of celebrations. I didn’t know I could cope with a hen* party AND a birthday bash in one day but when you’ve friends as lovely as I have, (and you’re the designated driver) spending time with them is a breeze! And, as an unexpected bonus, the birthday party got me thinking! Not about the aging process, the post-Brexit late-pandemic Uber scarcity, or why seating arrangements are now based on a Venn diagram of ‘people who need to be close to the loo’, ‘people who need to be able to nip outside for a cigarette or a hot flush’, and the rare presence of a ‘non-smoker with a fully functioning bladder and a healthy level of estrogen’. Nope! The birthday party got me thinking about dreams and the joy of making them come true. It was in a local greasy spoon caf* where the birthday boy is in the habit of going, most mornings, for a full fry-up breakfast. (Hey! We may no longer be the heart attack capital of Europe - but no one can say we’ve stopped trying!) He’s struck up a friendship with Linda, the owner, and it’s the kind of friendship where dreams are shared. Linda had had enough of bacon butties* and brown sauce and dreamed of serving up plates of tasty tapas instead. But no one wants to eat tapas in the local greasy spoon caf. Or so she thought! The birthday boy had other ideas! So on Saturday evening, the wooden tables were arranged into a U shape, crisp white cloths were laid, glasses polished and balloons blown up. Once everyone had found a seat that wouldn’t compromise their bladder, their smoke habit, and/or their menopause, Linda and her gorgeous staff presented the party of enthusiastic diners with what seemed like an endless supply of lovingly prepared tapas plates. It was great fun with lots of laughter fuelled by regular visits to the off-sales* next door, and the tapas were delicious. But, to be honest, it was the delight on Linda’s face every time someone told her how much they were enjoying the food that I’ll remember most. When she got a spontaneous round of applause at the end - that did it for me! *hen = bride to be *greasy spoon caf = diner *butties = bun *brown sauce = it’s like ketchup but brown *off-sales = liquor store This story reminds me of a quote from one of my all-time favorite books Creating the Impossible by Michael Neil.
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