More Cupcake, Less Laundry

My new philosophy for living a good life.

More of these...

Less of this...

Today I threw a very impromptu birthday party for a dear, wonderful friend! Her birthday was last Saturday and it just hit me this week that this was a woman who needed a party. And party we did.

I got on the phone. I called friends...wonderful friends. I told them to drop everything they were doing and come eat lunch. And they did. I went to Costco and got croissants, chicken salad and big, huge, enormous cupcakes. Friends brought salad, apples and caramel dip, pumpkin bars and macaroons. And by golly...we got ourselves together and had ourselves a feast. HB gave everyone sparkly, rhinestone crowns that we found in the Halloween box and I broke out the leaf cups, plates, and napkins. It was a delicious lunch for a Thursday afternoon. And it was a party. A party for a spectacular lady...a party for a group of spectacular ladies because who couldn't use more parties and less housework? As I drove off toward the school to go read to a class of adorable 1st graders, I felt so full and satisfied...not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. I once asked my dear friend, who was born and raised in Bolivia, what she missed most about her country and her response has stuck with me for some time now. Of all the things to miss, she said what she missed most was the relationship women enjoy there. Every day her mother would prepare lemonade and a treat of some sort for the friends that would stop in to visit. Not scheduled, not planned and yet expected and welcomed. Everything would be set aside for a friend. And the day would be a total success...not because all of the housework was done and the "to-do" list checked off but because the most essential, important things in life had been attended to. Your relationships...your friendships...your life lines secured.

I wake up every day with a calendar FILLED with things that need to be done. I have endless to-do lists taped to cupboards and cabinets and the refrigerator. I'm always jotting things down. And sometimes I feel like if those lists aren't completed, then I haven't succeeded in my day. If someone stops by or calls, I've been interrupted. Time is ticking and my list is waiting. But do you know what is funny? My lists are always there. And they aren't good friends...they cause me stress and make me ignore things that are really more important and once I cross something off the list, it usually goes right back on because it needs to be done again. I go to the grocery store and as I'm unloading the groceries, I think of something I forgot and then I start a new list. The laundry gets washed, folded and put away and before the day is through, there is new laundry to be washed. Do you see what I mean? The list is endless.

But today my friends and I had a party in the middle of the day and it changed my whole attitude for the rest of the day. I felt happy and relaxed. I'd eaten a cupcake at 1:00 p.m. and it was pure delight! Lunch only took about 90 minutes but what a gift. I laughed, I listened, I talked, and I felt truly uplifted. So here is my new motto...more cupcakes, less laundry. Maybe not literally but metaphorically. Every day I want to sit and really talk to a friend. I want to talk to a friend with nothing but my friend on my mind. I want to sit as long as she needs me to sit and I want to walk away feeling like I've really listened. I don't want to care about what didn't get done. I want to care about what REALLY got done and how it changes me. I want more cupcakes at noon and more parties on a Thursday and I want to care less about how clean my house is. I want to care more about people than errands. I need better balance.

So to all the women who came and ate cupcakes today, thank you. I appreciate all of you. I'm so blessed by your friendship. I'm so blessed to live in this neighborhood. I'm so blessed by your joy and many gifts. Please feel free to stop by anytime...I'll have the lemonade and treats ready.