Mateship in Adelaide.

 

Oh, how wonderful it is to have aged together and connected over decades.

 

I would be so flattered to think I could be….

as accepting and fun loving as Dallas

 

as well-balanced and family minded as Dave

 

as sociable and respectful as Anthony

 

as informed and focused as Sue,

as well read and engaged as Suzette,

as authoritative and connected as Lisa

 

as single-minded and outspoken as Shelley,

as forward thinking and multitalented as Jane,

 

as self-assured and funny as Anna,

as creative and passionate as Spanish Jenny,

 

as pensive and philosophical as Jude

 

as engaging and inclusive as Jenny

 

as gentle and resilient as Brenton,

 

as self-aware and unconventional as Bruce,

as artistic and well-travelled as Kay,

 

as loving and self sacrificing as Sonya,

 

as forthright and jovial as Helen,

 

as self-confident and idiosyncratic as Virginia

as rebellious and independent as Sally,

as welcoming and inclusive as Massey,

 

as astute and benevolent as Susan.

 

We all bring our own traits and talents to the table but it’s delightful how we can reconnect and pick up the conversation like we were only chatting yesterday. With such shared history and having evolved into such diverse individuals, it’s really amazing that we can all embrace each other’s differences and celebrate all the similarities. We still laugh at past adventures and dream of future exploits.

 

In my humble opinion that’s what friendship is actually about. Just like Adelaide itself, we seem to have come of age and feel comfortable in our own skin.  We can wear our former work clothes or our track pants to go out shopping, socialize without the makeup, forgive the past indiscretions, accept the eccentricities, tolerate the differences of opinion, appreciate the different perceptions, say what we think without a filter or judgement and allow ourselves to be ourselves in each other’s company.

 

We are lucky to have aged at all as some of us didn’t get that opportunity and we haven’t forgotten them. As I have often said it is a privilege to grow old and we must embrace it.

 

How lucky are we to have you all in our lives?

I’ll end with a quote I discovered recently that struck a chord with me. 

 

“This word anti-aging has to be struck.

I am pro-aging. I want to age with intelligence, and grace, and dignity, and verve, and energy. I don't want to hide from it. ... I'm not denying what I look like, of course I've seen what I look like. I am trying to live in acceptance.”

Jamie Lee Curtis on the term 'anti-aging