My friend Sally

When I was 27, I had this friend named Sally. Sally loved going to Jimmy's - a reggae bar we both lived by. I always got such a kick out of watching her get down out on the dance floor, she never had any shortage of dance partners because the guys loved her! She was vivacious, engergetic, outgoing, and more often than not she could out-dance, out-drink and out-last me! Oh, and Sally was 55 years old. She was a divorced breast cancer survivor with two grown children and the most amazingly positive outlook on life. Sally was my hero, she made me hope that when I got older, I would be like HER.

To Sally, age was a non-issue. She was all about taking full advantage of her new lease on life. She dated men who were much younger than her and she had no qualms about venturing out into the nightlife that is so often dominated by the 20-something crowd. I loved her for that. As a 20-something myself at the time, I didn't fully realize just how unusual that was. Now that I'm fast approaching 40 [but still feel like I'm 25] I totally see it.

I am all about living in the now. For me, part of succeeding at that is listening to music that is current. I still love my 80's music, but it ties me to my past and listening to it takes me back to places I've already seen. I want to be present in the moment - and since music creates such a solid connection between time and place; I am completely into music that is new. The bands I like also tend to be very young - most of the members are just kids! I go to the shows and I meet them and I feel excited to be a part of the scene; then I stop and notice that I'm surrounded by kids. Sometimes it gives me a complex. I really wish I could be more like Sally and just not give a damn...

Sally and I lost touch about a year or so after my mom died, she tried to maintain the bond but I was just too lost. I think I'll put forth the effort to try and find her; see if she'd be up for going dancing...