Not a topic for which I was prepared, but one which came up at the fundraiser hubby and I attended last night for the American Cancer Society.

I almost didn’t go since my back has been bothering me for sometime now, and had gotten worse in recent days. I tend to overdo when I encounter spurts of energy and wellness.

Reorganizing my house after our recent remodel, crouching over plants and weeds for 3 days during a spate of warm, sunny weather, hosting a coffee for friends and neighbors as a meet and greet for the designer and contractor who’d helped refashion my master bed/bath, and preparing an entree to be served at our community center‘s weekend meal for those in need…has me realizing that I am indeed…getting older. No more packing it all in with nary a concern for tomorrow.

My body is definitely trying to tell me something. “Hey! Slow down! Let’s save some for another day. In fact, let’s preserve for tomorrow. No need to shorten our life by cramming everything into a nano-second. Take a break, wontcha???”

And so I did, take a break.

English: Gossamer Albatross II as presented at Seattle’s Museum of Flight WHERE: Museum of Flight, Seattle, WA, USA WHEN: Sometime between May 2 and May 9, 2004 WHO TOOK IT: GURoadrunner WHAT CAMERA: circa-2000 Vivitar digital camera Released into the public domain, but if you want to credit me by name drop me a message at w:User_talk:Guroadrunner. Attribution/credit not required. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The fundraiser took place at “The Flight Museum,” slightly south of Seattle. It was amazing  to be seated at tables situated directly beneath massive, vintage airplanes. Hanging overhead were the real McCoys. I felt like a child, staring with mouth open as I looked up into the “sky.” And the “sky” wasn’t that far above us.

The evening proceeded as expected. Preliminary speeches were made by the power couple hosting the event and the doctor who helped co-chair. Meanwhile the food was being served, and the live auction quickly got underway. Of course hubby and I can’t be counted upon as big-spenders at such events. Dropping thousands for a suite at a football, soccer or baseball game is not our style, nor is having a local celebrity cook a meal for us and 6 other people in our own home something we entertain seriously. Our home is cozy…not spacious by any stretch of the imagination.

We did raise our paddles to fund a child with cancer going to summer camp. And we threw in a few more bucks here and there to grow a contribution for some worthy project. We had missed the silent auction which preceded the sit-down portion of the evening. So we saved ourselves a few dollars there.

English: Photograph of The Beatles as they arrive in New York City in 1964 Français : Photographie de The Beatles, lors de leur arrivée à New York City en 1964 Italiano: Fotografia dei Beatles al loro arrivo a New York City nel 1964 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The evening ended with dancing. Sounds from our past emanated from the lobby above as the Creame Tangerine played their instruments and sang their hearts out. Our table of my husband’s coworkers and their wives, all friends of ours, wend our way up the stairs to partake of the merriment.

Soon we were jiggling and wiggling to the beat. Even the boss and his wife, Stein and Linda, were flayling around the dance floor, singing the lyrics of songs we’d not heard for so long…the Beatles, Neil Diamond, and others whose names I couldn’t even recall. But Stein could. Every so often he’d lean my way and shout above the din the name of some well-known singer. Mercy! I thought. No wonder he’s the CEO and President. He knows everything!

While all the elements were there for a smashing good time, the highlight of the evening was a young lady who spoke. Leslie Krom lives…while dying…of cancer. My next posting honors her story…

…as only she can tell it…

………hugmamma.