Life is sweet

As you have probably noticed, I regard all of you lovely readers as my friends. We have a bond of trust and understanding you allow me to be who I want to be and you tolerate and even seem to enjoy my wild (and sometimes pointless) musings week after week..

Because of this relationship, when I have stuff going on that's personal or when I just don't seem to be firing on all cylinders, I write about it in this column with the same abandon. For no apparent reason, life right now is as sweet as Moroccan tea, and I just feel compelled to share some of this with you in the hope that it will be positively infectious& like the G*Nice Flu!

I'm blessed in so many ways because life dealt me a pretty good hand and I think I've made the most of it. It certainly wasn't a full hand of Aces, but I was able to take advantage of opportunities. One of the reasons I'm on a high is because I'm really appreciative of my clique of friends both old and new. If you ever need to measure who you are, take a look at those who surround you, it's the best mirror that you will ever need.

My peeps are solid gold, with more carats than Bugs Bunny. I'm once again reminded of the social networking power that sharing an interest in sport can have! This works well in a man's world and I have to wonder if the girls have a close equivalent.

Recently, I had an opportunity to meet the brother of a rather famous boxing celebrity for a business deal we were working on together. I expected nothing more than a cordial and professional set of meetings focused totally on the project. However, what transpired was an instant connection in energy, wavelength, sense of humour and overall swagger and we both ended up feeling that we had quickly established a real friendship that enriches our lives.

That remains a heady feeling, I think, when you meet new people who you just click with right off the bat. Now we text rap lyrics to each other at all times of the night which is as funny to me as it is pointless! That's the upside of new friends, but old friends are also making a positive impression right now.

An old friend of mine came to visit from Australia en route to London. The last time I saw her was in 2000. Nine years later she has battled and beaten cancer and given birth to a wonderful daughter who is now 7 going on 17! The thing with old friends is that despite a huge chunk of time apart they fit comfortably back into your life like a favourite pair of trainers. Much of the time is spent laughing at memories and people from the past, with the added bonus of the fun stuff that her daughter has brought to the game.

This was her daughter's first time on a plane and she was naturally excited at the prospect of travelling and the glamour of airports and planes and all of that. My mate explained how, on the journey over here, when the plane reached cruising altitude and dinner was first served, her lovely daughter looked at the plastic plate of spaceman food and with some excitement removed the metal lid to gaze in wonder at the splodge of meat, potatoes and really hard butter. Earnestly she stared at the gastronomic offering and looked my friend square in the eye to declare, "Mum& Now this is living!"

And that's kind of how I feel. There are times when what's offered up on your plate doesn't seem appealing, but to be able to appreciate the peas as well as the pudding and still look on the bright side, is the recipe for happiness!

Feeling Good-ingly Yours