Empowerment

Yesterday, after I left my lawyer's office and said goodbye, I was feeling shaky and sad.  I went to Central Park and sat on a bench and my friend Karen called and suggested that we meet.  

We went for a walk in the park.  She and her husband divorced a little over ten years ago, after a 25+ year marriage.  She said her divorce made her feel empowered and that the years since have been some of the best of her life.  We walked through the park for a long time and then sat on another bench.  Eventually, we ended up near Lincoln Center, having a light dinner and then walked over to Lincoln Center to listen to a band that was performing outdoors.  

It was an excellent night and I thought about these last two years and how challenging they've been.  I still care about my ex-husband, I'm not the kind of person who can flip a switch on and off.  I wish him well.  And I do feel empowered and different than the person I was a few years ago. 

I've learned so much about walking through fear, change and grief -- they weren't lessons I really wanted to learn, they were painful.  

But mostly I'm just grateful for a perfect summer night, in Central Park and Lincoln Center, with a really dear friend.

It was a good day

It's so up and down these days. But today turned out to be fine, a good day. And tonight I went dancing at Lincoln Center's outdoor dance festival, I think it's called Midsummer Night's Swing. There was a band from Kenya with kind of an African/Salsa beat and it was fun dancing under the stars and I actually enjoyed it. I went with two of my wonderful friends, Karen and Sharon (we all did Mama Gena's together) and my other dear friend Annie from Vancouver, Washington, the most most fantastic photographer in the Portland area (the entire state) posted "Perhaps Perhaps Perhaps" from Strictly Ballroom on her blog, so I thought it would be fun to post it here.

After we danced, we went across the street to Fiorello's where we shared great food and wine (I had two glasses!) our waiter and I just got home. (oh, that was a typo.) It feels like Spain, where you eat late and stay out late and there are so many people out on the street, at restaurants, talking and having fun. I loved it. And the amazing thing is that Lincoln Center has been doing this outdoor dance festival in the month of July for at least five years, maybe more, maybe ten. And I have wanted to go every summer and I never did.

Tonight I went, I danced, and i had fun. And I will return.

And now, for Strictly Ballroom: