Guilty Pleasures

Some days are filled with mundane duties: grocery shopping, laundry, etc. Some are productive: work on BER preparation or other big project. Some are service: soup kitchen, visiting Mom. Some are personal growth days: Bible study, attendance at concerts or exhibits. Most are a mixture of the above. Occasionally--today-- it's a day of guilty pleasures!

Guilty pleasures can mean many things to many people. For me today, guilty pleasures means Bridge and Joseph!

Back in the early 70's I learned Bridge from my then-roommate Pat. A group of District 62 teachers played once a month during the later 70's and early 80's, although we did a lot more talking than playing! In intervening years there were rare playing opportunities, so I was excited to finally play regularly with other retired District 28 friends.......until one of the four women left for a winter in Florida. Today SHE'S BACK and we're playing!

I'm not a very good Bridge player. I can't begin to remember who played what card and sometimes make stupid errors, but I love the thinking that goes on in bridge and the uniqueness of each hand. We like to talk (duh!), but this group does focus on the game and have found ourselves acting like addicts. "I need to go home soon." "Let's stop after one more game." "Well, this will be the final hand." "OK, just one more." It will be hard today to leave my guilty Bridge pleasure to be on time for the "Joseph" guilty pleasure.

Some people love Opera and see the same operas over and over again. Some see "A Christmas Carol" every year. I love the musical "Joseph" and have seen it over and over again. It's cheesy, repetitive, low rent musically, goofy....and I love it! I loved seeing Donny Osmond in downtown Chicago (twice!), I loved seeing it when David was playing "in the pit" for the high school presentation (six times!) and I know I'll love it tonight when I see it in the round at the Lincolnshire Marriott. I even bought the album.....back when one bought cassettes! I even wrote new words to the songs when our choir bid a silly musical farewell to our favorite organist, Jill.

I think I love "Joseph" because I smile and laugh out loud throughout the entire presentation. The sillier the song or acting, the more I laugh and smile.

And I'm smiling now in anticipation of a day of smiling and laughing.

And it's going to be 70º today!

And tomorrow I'll do the grocery shopping....

While I'm humming silly songs.

And not feeling guilty at all!