Dancing in the Moonlight

In his youth, Allen Palmer had the body of a Greek God and when he aged he was kick-ass cool, bright and amusing.  Allen's death was a loss to the entire neighborhood (and beyond) and so we had a Caribbean themed “Celebration of Life” party. Of course we did.

Allen Palmer, circa 1961
Shot during the filming of  "The Teahouse of the August Moon"

The place was jam packed with friends and family who wanted to pay their respects and remember their friend.  As the night wore on, people began grabbing the mike from the steel drummer and telling Allen stories. Many of them had known him their whole lives so they had lots of fond memories to recount. I had a story too, but mine remained untold. Until now.

Shortly after I met Allen, I added him to my bucket list. That was the day that I discovered he had been an instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Studios, the Cadillac of dance institutions. I vowed on the spot to dance with him. I didn't know where, I didn't know when, but I knew. It WOULD happen.  

Jerry and I are extremely compatible in many ways, but as a couple we are lousy at dancing. Secretly, I've always blamed him.  It's not that we haven't tried - we have taken so many dancing lessons over the years that we should be the Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire of our time. I yearn to be that couple on the dance floor that performs so beautifully that everyone else stops in awe and watches their dazzling footwork. Clearly, I needed to dance with Allen Palmer.

And then, it happened. I will never forget that night. We were all at an outdoor concert at the clubhouse and people were dancing on the grass in front of the band. Suddenly, Becky Palmer materialized out of the darkness. “Please go dance with Allen!” she begged. “I'm exhausted.”

She didn't have to ask twice. It was a shining moment which will live forever in my memory. I floated over the lawn to the dance area just as a slow song started. And then Allen took me in his arms. 

God has a wicked sense of humor and this was the longest song of my life, spent stepping all over poor Allen's feet. At one point, I think I may have even kicked him in the shins. It was mortifying. People were looking at us, but not for the reason I had imagined. Turns out that it's me, not Jerry, that is rhythm impaired.

Armed with this insight, I have started my “Afterlife Bucket List” - things to do after I die. First on my list? “Take dancing lessons from Allen Palmer.”

P.S. Jerry, this post is your public apology and the only one you'll ever get so if you don't read it, it's not my fault. 

www.StillSwimmingUpstream.com

0 to 60 in Z!

A Week in Paradise,
With Love

 

 

Sometimes the stars align just when the angels decide to smile down upon you.  The results?  M A G I C!  This happened to me last week ~ only in my case, in addition to stars and angels, it took six smart, sneaky adults five months of planning.

 

Saturday morning I was told I was going to Cracker Barrel for breakfast.  Imagine my surprise then to find myself, a mere two-and-a-half hours later, arriving at a beach house in the Cayman Islands!  Surrounded by those I love most in this world, I was [momentarily] speechless with joy.  The recording of my arrival tells a different story - it sounds like a drunken bird squawking...but they tell me it's actually me. 
 

 

We swam in the pool.  We swam in the ocean.  We snorkeled.  We saw blue iguanas, wild parrots, begonias with leaves twice as big as my hand and poinsettias the size of bushes.  We played on the beach, petted sting rays, held live starfish and found itsy- bitsy crabs living in teeny-tiny shells.  We ate delicious meals that I neither prepared nor cleaned up.  We even enjoyed cucumber water at the Ritz! (It was ritzy.)

  

I had the thrill of riding shotgun as  my husband, Mr. Fearless, drove our rental van on the left side of the road.  [On one trip, a lady in the car in front of us pulled off the road and took a picture of a restaurant sign.  It said: "Buy one jerk, get one free."]

 

Stargazing in the Caymans defies description; the night sky is ablaze with all the glory of the heavens above.  I have never seen so many bright stars.  It turned searching for Orion's Belt into a "Where's Waldo" event. 

One of the highlights of our trip was a night kayaking adventure into a bio-luminescent bay where the water twinkled.  When I ran my fingers across the surface, I left a glowing, glittering trail of fairy dust.

If that isn't magic, what is?

 

* * *

 

 

 

* Our youngest grandson is just seven months west of zero and I am eight days east of sixty, thus the birthday trip was dubbed "0 to 60 in Z."

  

Thanks, kids one and all, for the fabulous surprise.  I truly did not suspect a thing.   

 

 

 

 

I'm in LOVE!!

We met, of all places, at my brother-in-law's visitation.  I noticed him the minute I stepped through the funeral home door.  He was sitting quietly in the back of the room, wearing a crisp pair of khaki chinos and a colorful shirt with a button down collar.  A nice look, if you can pull it off - and he could, yes indeed, he could.


I was drawn to him, immediately wanting to make a beeline in his direction but circumstances intervened and I could not.  There was much to do and say to so many people!  Later when I glanced in his direction, he was gone.  Disappoint swept over me.  I had heard about him for years and now, my first opportunity to actually meet him had slipped through my fingers.  He was gone. 


My nephew wandered over holding a soft drink and mentioned that there was a small room at the back of the hallway with beverages in it.  Suddenly I realized I was parched and excused myself.  As I stepped inside the room, there he was, sipping on a diet Pepsi.  Because his frame did not include an extra cell of fat, I wondered aloud, "Why diet?"  "Like the taste" he replied.


The ice was broken and we began a casual, easy conversation.  He began to talk about his friends, his hopes, his dreams and his fear of being abducted by aliens.  I was spellbound.  Here before me was that elusive male that all females dream of - one that will actually talk.  He clearly had far more expertise in physics than I did, but he never once talked down to me.  He gently and patiently explained every concept in words that I could understand, answering my every question as it arose.  The conversation was fascinating!  Time flew by.


My nephew strolled in, glanced our way, came over and asked him if he could do an errand.  Before the entire sentence was complete, he had exited the room, willing to do anything to ease my nephew's pain.  "I was trying to rescue you, Aunt Chris" he explained.  "I'm afraid he can be a bit of a nerd."  Uh oh!  I realized people were noticing how engrossed we were in earnest conversation.  I went back to the visitation room and sank down in a chair in the back.  Soon, he slipped into the chair next to me and we picked up right where we left off, without missing a beat.


After the visitation, our group went to dinner at a nearby Asian buffet.  I ended up seated between my husband and my newly widowed sister-in-law.  He was at the other end of the table, happily surrounded by children.  There would be no further opportunity to talk.  As I walked behind his chair to get to the salad bar, he turned and quietly said, "I tried to sit by you, but couldn't make it happen." 


I had a warm glow in my heart the rest of the evening.  The attraction was clearly mutual!  After the meal ended and we left, I thought about the wonderful gift that this stranger had given me:  the opportunity to see the world through the eyes of a fifth-grade boy.


Thank you, Nathaniel.

Looking into the Eyes of the Angels

On October 20th, 2010, at exactly 10:55 p.m., the most beautiful baby in the history of humankind was born and I was there to witness it.  Seeing that baby enter this world was so incredible that it defies description.  For once in my life, I was at a loss for words.  My midwife buddy said it perfectly. "Now you understand why I have the best job on the planet." And she does. 

For five and a half weeks I stayed with that baby.  He cast his spell over me, until I was totally enchanted!  Time stopped and the world revolved around his pleasures and needs. That was okay by me.  I wanted to stay even longer - say, perhaps until he left for college?

My daughter and son-in-law were exceedingly gracious and the time flew as we all watched the baby grow and change.  He went from the sleepy infant to being the wide-eyed baby.  Now every day we Skype so Grampy and I can gaze at him lovingly and see his new tricks.  It makes us all feel like, although we are separated by the miles, we are still a part of his life.  That matters to us more than we ever could have imagined.

Next week he will be making his first airplane ride, coming to Granny's for Christmas.  (Of course Gramps lives here too and we will vie for holding time with each other and with Auntie Kate.  I've been plotting my strategy now for weeks and am confident I will win!) 

What they say about being a grandparent is true.  It is joy beyond description.

Merry Christmas!!