Broadway and Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!

However -- the fact that you are reading this blog ON THE ACTUAL TURKEY DAY probably means you failed to properly lower your expectations.

Trust me --   THAT DAMN Norman Rockwell PAINTING WAS POSED FICTION, PEOPLE...

I could write about the best Thanksgiving I ever had (I was a kid -- and it would also be complete fiction)....

But I decided to go a different direction. Hey -- LET'S GO TO NEW YORK CITY. 

For me, New York City is all about Broadway. I have seen some extraordinary plays -- musicals being my favorite. Les Miz...Rent...Phantom of the Opera...Mama Mia...Side Show...Cats (which I totally did not get but there was that one great song)...

I remember driving in my red van, listening to the CD from the musical Chess...over and over again. I fell in love with Elaine Paige. AND so did Susan Boyle. I found this video on YouTube...and I fell in love all over again...




Listening to this music -- and seeing Billy Crystal's "700 Sundays"  made me think about the fact that life is about playing the hand you're dealt.

Some people will be rich -- or intelligent. Or beautiful, or THIN. But most of us will never be any of those things...

So what?? Are rich people happier than poor people?  Would my husband love me more if I were thin?  I woke up this morning, started watching Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade...and took a good look at what I DO HAVE in my life...and I am grateful for the cards I was dealt.

So many wonderful things....and terrific people.  Of course I am thankful for my husband, my 43-year marriage....

And I am thankful for my women friends.  You know who you are -- and every single day of my life -- I am grateful to be sharing it with you.  We laugh, we cry, we take turns talking AND listening about the things that matter.  Together, we've learned to accept the things we can't change....and to stand up when it's something you CAN change.

AND I am grateful to be old.  I am beyond delighted that I lived long enough to know the joy of grandchildren.  Hey...while I'm at it....I am thankful for my big, fat,ugly, sturdy, cellulitey legs that have taken me to so many interesting places -- all over America.

So, in the spirit of my Broadway Thanksgiving -- I'm going to share some lyrics from my favorite musical.  RENT. If your 2013 Thanksgiving was a disappointment -- start planning ahead for 2014. Don't be afraid to make changes. Because the big question is -- how do you measure a year in the life? 

Seasons of Love...these lyrics are EXACTLY how I feel about my 2013.  My whole life, actually.

525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure,
measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In
inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you
measure a year in the life?
How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of
love.