Ravi’s fourth (Cheetah themed) birthday party saw
Children and parents from her preschool class and
Soccer team and of course, cousins and neighbors
Enjoying a sumptuous lunch of tacos, beans and rice before
Diving into slices of my granddaughter's
(Cheetah) birthday cake, after which about
Twenty or more jolly 'jelly beans' from diverse cultures
Piled, with great delight, into the jumpy house from which
Gales of giggles could be heard as small fry collided
Happily into each other, and as you can imagine
Ravi jumped for joy upon unwrapping two giant cheetahs, which
Now stand guard on either side of her African safari bed so as to
Protect her from night monsters that might otherwise sneak up on
Her once she's been tucked safely under her cheetah comforter, each
And every night (Note headband with cheetah ears complimenting
A rainbow of bows adorning Ravi's imaginative head—I mean, seriously
Doth Ravi be the first Cheetah Princess thee hath ever seen?
Swallowed up by waves of exhaustion, based more in swimming
Through emotional swells than due to physical exertion, and as
The same depleted level of energy proved true of me on Monday (when
David had flown safely back to the coast) I nose dived into
My pillow, content to do nothing more than—crash in hopes that
My brain, being plugged into rest and relaxation, would be up and
Running, again, sooner than later, for this reason:
Though generally, during the aftermath of our family fun-fests
Will and I look forward to quiet days filled with
Little more than reflective solitude, Monday evening saw us
Packing to fly to Carlsbad, CA on Tuesday so as to enjoy
Quality time with a life long friend, who’d lost his wife—another
Beloved friend of ours—to a virulent brain tumor, ten years ago
And after we’d landed, followed by renting a car, Will and I
Made sound use of Google Maps to guide us toward our friend’s
Timeshare (which proved similar to our own) where, upon
Our arrival, we three greeted each other warmly, and as
We'd been welcomed into this two bedroom, two bath (thank God!)
Vacation home, several times over these past fifteen years, we felt
Right at home kicking off our shoes while relaxing with
A glass of wine and slices of pungent cheese tamed with
Sweet dollops of fig preserves before the four of us—four
Suggesting that five years back our dear friend had had
The good fortune to make the acquaintance of
A cheerful companion, who won his affection as well as
Ours—and as such, we four have sought out each other’s
Company several times, over recent years, and thus did
We enjoy our first dinner, together, by dining out while
Planning ‘this and that’, which would have been fun to
Experience, during the extent of our stay—had all gone well—
However, once Will and I had retired to our room, after wishing
Our friends sweet dreams, my stomach soured quite
Unexpectedly, followed, immediately, by fate sucker punching me so
Hard that I’d not a clue as to what in tarnation was burning
Straight through me as if a bolt of lightening had struck, knocking
My sunny sense of well being under a little black cloud followed by
Fate having had the gall to dump a ton of bricks onto
My aching head, and over the next several days and nights, as
Fate continued to rain severe abdominal distress on my parade
The lack-luster smile that I'd felt able to muster (on those few occasions
When I'd ventured out of our room), had flagged at half mast—OMG!
Smiling with feeling proves quite a feat when one can barely
Lift one's aching head off the bed! I kid you not!😯
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