Motivational Monday – National Women’s Friendship Day – 5 Ways to celebrate

 

“A true friend is one who knows all about you and likes you anyway.” - African Proverb

 

National Women’s Friendship Day is celebrated the third Sunday in September. The purpose of this day is to promote special friendship among women. There are a variety of ways to celebrate, below are 5 ways you can celebrate:

1.      Plan an outing with special friends –  friendships often develop naturally, and those new friends become special friends.

2.      Attend a breakfast or luncheon with a group of women - Feel free to create an event of your own.

3.      Send an ecard to an out-of-town friend.

4.      Promote the value of women in society – I remember in my school days, learning about Dr. Mae Jemison, the first African American Astronaut to travel into space.

5.      Watch a movie with a friend -  Make it a girl’s night. How about a grown-up pajama party? You can stay up all night talking and laughing. Better yet, make it a friendly competition and see who will fall asleep first. Looser treats for dinner.

Sweeten friendship day by adding a Friendship Cake. In my college years, I remember visiting my aunt near a Holiday. She was in the kitchen standing over a large mixing bowl, cracking eggs, and whipping batter. I asked, “What are you making Aunt Lue?”

“It’s called a Friendship Cake.”

“Huh?” My eyebrows raised.

Aunt Lue explained that a friendship cake is one that starts with a friend giving you an ingredient to start the cake (called starter). This type of cake can take up to 50 days to complete. I’ve also seen mention of a 30-day process.

I’ve never actually made a Friendship Cake, but it sounds appropriate for Women’s Friendship Day. You share the starter with a friend, and she gather all other ingredients to complete the cake. If you’re ready to stir up a sweet treat, check out the recipe here.

When was the last time you called a friend and invited her to hang out? You could spend time together doing nothing in particular except catching up on life’s events.

Happy Women’s Friendship Day to you. May you always be surrounded by fun friends and lasting friendships.

 

Fun Friday – International Friendship Day – 5 Ways to Celebrate

 

It’s International Friendship Day, celebrated July 30th. This day was established as a way to promote friendship and peace.

Here are a few facts about International Friendship Day:

·         This day can be traced back to 1919 when “the United Nations (UN) participated in an unofficial Friendship Day event.

·         About a decade later Hallmark released Friendship Day greeting cards.

·         It was in 2011 that the UN officially introduced International Friendship Day as a day to be honored.

Friendship Day is a good time to reflect on a happy memory with close friends. Schedule an outing together and create new memories.

Here are 4 ways to celebrate Friendship Day:

1.      Give a hug to someone you like.

2.      Make a gift for someone special.

3.      Listen to songs about friendship.

4.      Host a friendship Tea Party.

5.      Bake a friendship cake.

Make time to enjoy the simple things in life, celebrating a friendship.

 

Fun Friday – What tickles your funny bone? Menopause the Musical

Have you ever laughed until your stomach hurt? What was it that tickled your funny bone? A good laugh does the body well. An article by Ulliance life advisors, listed laughter as a way to reduce anxiety. The article stated that when we laugh, “our brains produce beta-endorphins that create a sense of euphoria and is a healthy way to bring some balance to the chemistry of an anxious brain.”

Laugh it up. Grab a friend, or two, or three, and go out seeking laughter. That’s how my friends and I did it. Our Girls Night Out was a visit to our local Performing Arts Theater for the show Menopause the Musical. As I stood in the lobby of the theater before the show, I smiled as I noticed there were a lot of us old-er, HOT, women and a sprinkling of men. Several women leaned in and whispered to their friend as they read my shirt – Menopause Ain’t No Joke. A couple of people smile and said aloud, “It sure ain’t no joke.”

I made friends rather easily wearing a shirt that spoke volumes to those at the musical. One woman confessed that she’s been hot and sweaty for 12 years. I told her I’m only two years in. By wearing that menopause t-shirt I had unknowingly hung my shingle – Menopause Therapy. The therapy came in the form of sharing stories, laughing at ourselves, and knowing that we were not alone in our season.

My former college roommate was at the show with me. At one point we took turns dozing off and opening our eyes to laughter. It was a good thing that the theater was dark. We both asked, “What happened to us? When did we get to this point? It was only 9pm. We chalked it up to working a long day, but we know that was only part of the reason. In one of the scenes in the play, the character dozed off while another woman was talking to her. Menopause and aging.

At the end of the show we danced on the stage with others in the theater who were invited to do so. We felt a connection with other women, laughed a lot, and vowed to keep laughing.

When was the last time you laughed until your stomach hurt? Find something that tickles your funny bone and laugh hard.

Fun Friday – The price of friendship

photo credit: I love my friends and family

How often do take the time to just sit and chat with a friend?

Mom and I decided to sit at a local fast food restaurant in her neighborhood and work on a couple of projects. As we chatted and worked, mom reminded me that there was a 30 minute time limit for paying customers. The policy was in effect to deter people from just loitering at the establishment.

In order to be in compliance (as a paying customer), we made a purchase.  When the cashier asked what we wanted I spoke first, “I’ll have an orange juice.”

“What size?”

Mom chimed in, “Give us two large orange juices.”

I guess I took too long to respond.

“That will be $5.91.”

I looked at my mom as I handed the money to the cashier. “$5.91?! Is that fresh squeezed, are they using a bag of oranges? I can get a half gallon of orange juice for less than that.”

Mom just smiled, “I didn’t think it would cost that much. I don’t normally buy orange juice.”

We took our seats, sipped our orange, and chatted about our current works in progress. We laughed, we reminisced and part of the time we did nothing at all. By the time we left the restaurant, it was two hours later that we initially walked through the door.

We had broken the rule of the 30 minute limit. I told mom to just consider the cost of the orange juice as our booth rent. $5.91…a small price to pay for time well spent.

When was the last time you spent quality time with a friend or loved one? Do it now.

Wordless Wednesday - Lean on Me

Leaning on family

After recently listening to the song, Lean on Me by Bill Withers, I was reminded of what friendship is all about, supporting each other. Happy New Year to all my friends near and far.

Friendships...

 

 

 

Best wishes for a prosperous New Year!

Friendship - If the shoe fits



Have you ever had to walk in anyone's shoes...or socks?

Are you familiar with the expression, “walk a mile in my shoes?” I’ve heard it said, “Don’t judge me until you walk a mile in my shoes.” Or, “If you could only walk in my shoes.” My friend recently exercised the opportunity to mix the figurative meaning of this expression with the literal.

During a week-long conference, my friend and I walked daily from our hotel to the convention center where our classes were held. She mainly walked because I liked to walk. A friend in deed.

Early one morning there were three of us who joined the crowed of walkers headed to the convention center. We were two blocks from the center when my friend’s sandal broke. It was the type of sandal that has the strap that fits between your big toe and the second toe.

My friend wanted to turn back and walk the five blocks back to the hotel, but we wouldn’t let her. She tried to grip the broken shoe with her toes and drag her foot, but that wasn’t working. I offered my suggestion, “How about if we each take off one shoe and drag our foot like you’re doing?” After she caught her breath from laughing, we implemented plan ‘B’ instead.

“You can wear my socks, at least they’ll match your outfit,” I offered. There was no magical moment as with Cinderella and her glass slipper, as my friend slipped the black socks onto her foot. However, the cushion of the thick sock brought a moment of comfort. She made it through the first class session without anyone noticing the absence of her shoes.

After class I was able to give my friend the gym shoes that I was wearing and I changed into something else. I couldn’t offer her the shoes before because my class was active and required us to sometimes run around. For the rest of that morning, my friend walked a mile in my shoes.

If anyone were to question why I took a few pair of shoes on the trip, they could now see why. One pair for walking and others for casual and dress up activities. Since my feet are a size bigger than my friend’s, she was able to fit the shoes without any discomfort.

My shoe held up for my friend just like our friendship has over the years.

What experiences have you had with a friend that have made you smile?

 

 

Wordless Wednesday - Friendship is...

What does friendship mean to you?