It All Depends

What happens when 30 women gather at a lovely resort condominium for a retreat based on the power of prayer? Several of the women are Knitwits. Some are in my book club. Some, are such good friends that I consider them my family here in California. Others, I have met for the first time. There are speakers and leaders. Listeners and followers.We have the best retreats ever. We have meaningful lessons with time to concentrate on spiritual growth. We also play games and have girlfriend time served up with outstanding wine and appetizers. The combination of camaraderie, cuisine, laughter and knitting. Really, can there be a better weekend for moi?

The pendulum was swinging. Deep sharing (like only girlfriends can) and deep laughter at the expense of our own follies with life. I have decided to change the names to protect the innocent.

If you were there and you are reading this,do your thighs burn and your hip sockets feel turned inside out? That crazy Christian yoga has awakened energy in muscles left to atrophy. The abrupt wake up call has left my legs feeling crabby and out of sorts. Advil, anyone?

So, let's call her Pinkie. What a delight. Mom of 3. Full time RN, intelligent, articulate, sensitive and as cute as a Barbie doll. She just held court Friday night. In a room full of friends with conversation rapid firing across the table top- I caught a line that made me laugh. Pinkie was talking about her "Article Club." Sitting to my left was my good friend Wisconsin, flanked by Queenie and Classy. Wisconsin is about all things academic. I sarcastically asked her if Pinkie said Article club as a derivative of (for instance) a Book club? Could that be further reduced for the truly short on time to the "Paragraph Club", "Sentence Club" or how about the "Headline Club"? I thought I had surely heard wrong. Classy interjected that indeed there exists an Article club and membership is by invitation only. She knew ladies that belonged. Wisconsin and I were incredulous. This club could not have a chapter in Boston or Ann Arbor? How did it work? Pinkie informed us that all of the members present copies of their "article?" and they took them home to read. That leaves time for lunch with wine. She confessed that sometimes they just skip the article completely! Queenie and I propose we immediately form a Physics Club. We will meet monthly for lunch, cocktails and (con)fusion.

Menopausal women late night, laugh-athon. Diapers optional. Early morning Soul Dance Yoga. I had to channel my own inner slut to pull off the moves that are making me tear through the cupboards in search of Vicodin. Breath in, exhale out and pray. Was that a prayer for Depends? It all depends on who attends...