It all started out of a crisis.
You see, my friend was packing to move away, not by her own decision, but something she had to do reluctantly . My good friend and her son would be leaving in three days to live in Michigan and the tears and pain were growing for me. It is rare in this world to have such a friendship, full of unconditional love and acceptance. Questions grew for me. What would I do? Who would go on adventures with me and my daughter? Who would I visit on a daily basis? Who would listen and understand me like her? Who would encourage me? Yes, I have a wonderful family and they sure do support me, yet at the same time we can have these friendships in life that also fulfill us in so many ways. How would I say goodbye to this? I felt numb.
As we finished cleaning the now empty house we realized our kids were being watched and as we sat to rest discussion formed of the idea to go see a movie, something we never got to do in our five years of friendship being busy moms. Different movies came up and I then said how about Mamma Mia? The rumors of Mamma Mia not being that good made me hesitate to spend money on a movie ticket. Still, with all the rumors, we both agreed it was the best choice. So we locked up the empty house and took off on our trek to the movies, of course enjoying some appetizers and ice tea first, saving room for our popcorn that was a must to experience together.
From the very beginning of Mamma Mia, happiness flowed in me. I could not believe a cheesy, funny, movie like this would bring such joy to our experience. It just got better and better as it went along, empowering and full of beauty mixed in with the crazy random scenes. I couldn’t believe all the emotions that were brought forth watching Mamma Mia. It made me really think about the criticism I heard from others, who warned it would be hard to sit through, especially for men and to be honest, I think more men should see it. My friend and I were laughing and crying through the whole movie, never missing a beat. Dancing in our chairs, enjoying laughter with the audience, clapping for the film at end. Feeling community and happiness with others is what this film accomplished for me. In a dim time for me and my friend, we shared such a wonderful experience with Abba songs.
You know, we live in this world of such seriousness, economic and political disaster, environmental destruction, genocide, and well the list goes on and on. We are so disconnected from ourselves, so critical and judgemental of others, easy to point the finger on who is wrong, full of stress and frowns upon our human faces. Workaholism and depression have seeped into our nation . Unawareness, I feel, is the biggest epidemic, living so unaware of others and our surroundings. For a nation that has so much, we seem to live so distant from joy. It may seem silly but seeing Mamma Mia brought some perspective to what life can have at its core and what is possible if you can hold on to that core in life. It is silly for me to think this leaving a musical of Abba songs and sort of makes me chuckle.
My friend is now gone and I wake up today thinking of my Mamma Mia experience and what does it mean for me. I know it is okay to feel sad over loosing a friend and no words can describe this experience. Her presence will be missed dearly. At the same time, I feel energized to stay even more aware of others, help when I can, laugh a lot more, and breathe. Sharing my passion of dance with children, fully enjoying the spiritual path, creating a stress free and happy work experience, and sharing positive ideas with community that create change. Cherishing life, family, and friends each and every step of the way. Life is indeed good.
I am very grateful for what I have and am grateful for the creative ideas to come. In this dismal portrayed world, I do see the light, beauty and love it has to offer. Change begins at awareness.
My friend said it best while watching the movie. She stated, “I wish life was a musical.” I sure think it is possible.
This blog is dedicated to my friend, my sister, Sheree.
Debra Welch is the owner of the e-commerce store, Knowledge Tree Books and Gifts. You can write to her anytime at knowledgetree4u@yahoo.com or visit her at www.knowledgetreestore.com, ktbookstore.com.
