Recently, I took a trip to New York City to see my first broadway show ever, Gypsy. What an amazing show! Patti Lupone (of Evita fame in case you are not familiar with broadway) was brilliant, and the rest of the entire cast was spectacular. At the end of the show I even had a chance to go backstage and meet Patti Lupone in person.

Now, that sounds like a pretty fabulous day, doesn’t it? Enjoying a glamorous day in New York City and meeting a broadway legend… Well, that is not what my post is about. It is actually about what led me to New York City in the first place.

In case you didn’t know, my mother is from New York. It was there that she grew up and cultivated lifelong friendships with some pretty fabulous ladies. In  her early 20s, my mother moved far far from home all the way to Florida…and a new life began. Although her friends were far away, they always stayed in touch.  And although life was very different for them all, they always remembered their common bond of friendship.

In today’s day in age, ‘friends’ come and go so easily. You meet at a party, you friend each other on ‘facebook‘ or ‘myspace‘, you don’t call each other, you don’t write, you just see each other in passing and could care less what is really going on in each others’ lives. I grew up with a different understanding of what it means to have friends.

Throughout my life, my mother would always repeat the following line from an old girl scout song, “Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” She taught me that while you make new friends in your life, you continue to grow and change with your old ones. You may find moments when your lives take turns and you go down different paths. That does not mean, however, that you have to abandon each other as friends. You just find your common ground again and grow together.

I’ve always considered my best friends to be like another extension of my family. To me, my oldest and dearest friends are like sisters. Sure, we have differences of opinion; and sure, we get angry at each other. But what we’ve also figured out is that no matter how angry we may be at each other, we will always stick by one another.

Now…going back to New York City and the broadway play. That day I met up with all of my mother’s best friends from high school (some of them she has known even longer). I’ve known these women my entire life. So, it was not an awkward get together at all. It was about as much fun hanging out with them as it is hanging out with my own friends. There were laughs, giggles and silly stories flying around. We were all going to see Gypsy and Patti Lupone because my mother and her friends were in the same high school graduating class as Patti. So, for years, they had all been anxious to see her perform on the broadway stage. And in the end, we had a once in a lifetime chance to go backstage and take pictures with Patti. Unfortunately, my mother was unable to join us due unforeseen circumstances.

The best part about this day was not seeing my 1st broadway show or meeting Patti Lupone, it was spending time with some incredible women who were so close to my mother. It was amazing to see how friendships had grown over 30+ years. Conversations may change, but there is always common ground. And I began to see how lucky I am to have the friends that I do.

http://www.erikawatters.com/

Recently, one of my friends wrote a blog entry entitled ‘Letter to Me at 16.’ I thought this was a clever idea. But, I didn’t want to totally copy her. Then I remembered something my little exchange student sister from Finland used to do (maybe she still does this)… She would write a letter to herself for 5 to 10 years into the future. Then on her birthday, she would open the letter and see all of the things she had written to herself at that point in her life…sometimes for laughs and sometimes to see how far she had come.

So, I thought I might try this. I thought that I would write to myself 5 years into the future. Since I am 31….that would put my letter to me at 36. Completely random number (can’t call it odd because it is actually even)…but I digress.

**********************

Dear Erika,

Me

Here is a photo of yourself in your early 30s. You are now 36. Just 4 short years away from turning 40. Isn’t it crazy how quickly time flies?? You probably have more wrinkles now. Who the hell gives a flying fig?

Hopefully by now you have taken a few yoga classes and have calmed yourself down. You seriously need to take a chill pill and relax. Right now you are so wound up that you could probably be a toy monkey.

So that you don’t distract yourself, let’s focus on the things that really matter:

Life

• You have a beautiful niece. Make sure you are calling and writing and paying attention to every second. Love her and be the ‘crazy’ Aunt who does silly things for her birthday and calls her to tell her ridiculous stories.
• Forget about killing yourself for work. Work is just what you do, it’s not who you are (as my dad likes to say). Just do your job to the best of your ability and then get back to what really matters family and friends.

Love

• Things will work out. Even if they don’t…hopefully…you can learn to love yourself. At least your parents, brother and friends think you are special. Nobody else really matters.
• Love everyone unconditionally. Don’t give your family, your friends or other loved ones just half of your attention. Be sincere and genuine.

Dreams

• You’ve let many people/circumstances kill your dreams over time, and it is time to take a stand and refocus (if you haven’t already). Remember when you used to wanted to be a fashion designer? It doesn’t matter if you’re good…it just matters that you are happy.
• You’ve let people get you down…but the only person who can change how you feel is you. Would you just take yoga already? I seriously hope you are taking a yoga class by the time you read this later in life.

Peace

• Reduce negative influences in your life…and just live.

Love…yourself : )

As always…Take Care and Smile!

http://www.erikawatters.com/

Riding bikes, exploring little towns by the sea, somehow finding a way to enjoy a beach where you can’t swim because the water is too cold, and watching one of your friends open a lobster in record time are just a few of the ways that I enjoy New England in the summer. A couple of weekends ago, we had a perfect summer weekend. Warm weather and beautiful skies. Just thought that I would share a couple of photos from the day.

Plum Island, Massachusetts. Yeah, can't swim in the water folks. Too cold.

Note: Friends and I were being eaten alive by killer horsefly-like bugs. Otherwise, it was a beautiful day at the beach.

Amazing skill at opening the lobster bare handed. I was impressed.

Note: I never have and never will eat lobster. Just wanted to make sure that was clear! But, I am still very impressed by my friend’s mad lobster opening skill!

One reason to love Boston in the summer. Beautiful bike rides along the Charles. Not so much fun in the winter though.

http://www.erikawatters.com/

One thing that I find to be completely bizarre in my life is that I love music, yet I cannot think of one single song that reminds me of any of the men I’ve dated in my lifetime. Aren’t you supposed to have that special song that brings back fond memories of the high school prom? Or of a romantic date? Or heck, just a romantic car ride. Yup…can’t think of a single song that correlates to any of those events.

Still, I love dancing, singing in the shower, and opening the windows in my car and singing full blast as others travel by. Ok…so maybe I don’t remember any songs that remind me of Mr. Right, but I certainly have songs that remind me of amazing moments in my life. During my daily torture session (aka…my daily workout), I started thinking about all of those fabulous songs. I was hoping that some of them would pop up on my ipod as I fought hard to make it through just one more minute on my ellipictal trainer.

Wake Up Little Suzie – Everly Brothers

My father used to sing this to me in the mornings to get me to wake up. He would then proceed to flip on the light without warning. Nothing like waking up to dad singing at 5:30am with lights full blast!

Conga – Gloria Estefan

My Aunt Sherry (may she rest in peace) first introduced me to Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine when I was about 10 years old. I’ve been Gloria’s biggest fan ever since. Whenever I am feeling down, I just listen to the Conga and dance around the room. Don’t know why…but it reminds me of my Aunt and all the positive things she stood for.

People are People – Depeche Mode

I guess I’ve always liked all types of music; from moody to upbeat. You name it, I’ve probably listened to it and enjoyed it at least once. In my early teens I took a liking to Depeche Mode. Must have been all the cool older teens that I was hanging around at summer camp that forced me to listen to it too often. It finally just sunk in.

Life is a Highway – Tom Cochrane

Ahhh…car rides and summer trips to the beach with my very best friends. This song brings back all of those fabulous memories. I remember driving down the road, windows rolled down, hair getting tangled in the wind and all of us singing as loudly as possible!!!

Ooo She She Wa Wa – Apollonia 6

No other person on this planet has as much fun with this song as my dear friend Lori. It is almost ridiculous that both of us know all the words to this song by heart. We must be the weirdest people on the planet for even listening to this song. We had the best time blaring this song while driving down Tennessee Street in Tallahassee after FSU football games.

Blister in the Sun – Violent Femmes

College came, all of my friends went their separate ways, but we still wouldn’t let go of fun times together at a moments notice. My dear friend Lori and I always managed to start off any dance floor. We didn’t care who was watching, we’d just dance. Miraculously, people followed. And of course, if we had heard ‘Blister in the Sun’ at least once, we knew if was a good night!

Zoom – Soda Stereo

Ok…so there are far many more songs that bring back fond memories, but this is the final one that I will write about today. That would be Zoom by Soda Stereo. It is no secret that I love Latin American music. In fact, I have an entire case of CDs dedicated to Latin American music. I don’t know what it is about this song that just draws me in every time that I listen to it. The words are even kind of bizarre, but it just sticks with me like no other.

Feel free to share new songs with me. You never know what my next favorite will be!

http://www.erikawatters.com/