People Who Need People

Barbra Streisand made a little money over the years singing a song entitled, "People."  One of the lines says, "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world."  Guess I fall into that category.  I don't consider that a bad thing at all.  What made me start thinking about this idea was a phone call last night.

I was watching the baseball game (stay with me here, the connections are a bit random), and I realized the date was October 7, meaning it was two days past October 5 and I had missed someone's birthday.  And since I had not spoken to her in a very long time -- even though I often think of her and miss her very much -- I decided it was well past time to call her.  I'm so very glad I did.  It was her 85th birthday this year, and who knows how many more birthdays she will have?  Or how many any of us will, for that matter.  We had a lovely conversation that warmed both our hearts.  I'm not sure who got more out of it, but I can tell you it did me a world of good to talk to her again.

Then there was the night before that I went to dinner with one of my friends, whom I absolutely adore.  We had a fabulous time, catching up on personal events, swapping stories, sharing wonderful food and wine.  Oh yeah, we let the spouses tag along, too.  It helps when the enjoy each other's company also.

I also have a group of friends that I call the Vegas Rules Group.  We don't get to go out together very often because our work lives are complicated and busy.  Some of us also have personal lives that have complicated obligations as well.  When we do get together, we have a lot of fun.  A lot of what we talk about is work (okay, so we're gritching about it mostly), but we usually digress and get on to individual stories as well.  That is where the term Vegas Rules comes from.  We all have sworn an oath not to reveal what we talk about during those sessions -- because Vegas Rules apply -- you know, like the commercials on TV, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.  So that allows us to be silly and blow off a lot of steam, knowing that we can trust each other not to blab to the rest of the world just how silly we may have been at some point in our lives.  And I've probably said more than I should have right now.  So, no more because I do not want to compromise any of my Vegas Rules friends.

Of course, I can't talk about People without mentioning all the Little People in my life -- all those beautiful grandchildren of mine.  I stopped at the store on the way home yesterday to get French bread, and along the way I saw strawberries -- a favorite of one of the grandbabies -- and also brownie bites.  Since I had not gotten a basket -- who needs one just for French bread? -- my arms were pretty full once I got to the checkout counter.  But the brownie bites were just the cure for a bobo that someone had on a finger when I got home.  And for the other one that speaks Chinese -- or that's what it sounds like anyway -- after his third one, I had to tell him that was enough for the night.  He could have another one for breakfast.

Yes, I do need People -- big, little, and in-between.