And Now For Something Completely Different

My past is catching up to me. Or maybe I’ve just regressed. Either way, it feels awesome! What an incredible mood buster! This month has seen old friends, new friends, music and fun. My blog is taking off, I’ve been published…it just keeps getting better! I know, this is an unusual and personal post, but I figure since this is a motivational site, what better way to get your jumping, crazy, glittery selves happy than to share my own little piece of pie in the sky. (It’s lemon meringue by the way 😉)

First, let’s start with the music. So incredible.  First, I got to experience new and amazing music from Andrew MacMahon and Panic! At The Disco with my beautiful daughter. It was her very first concert and it was exhilarating to see her reactions. Pure, unadulterated joy, as Brendan Urie belted out all her favorite songs. The bonus, it was a triple header….Weezer! From the oldies to the newest King of the World, it was a total trip for us both. She decided maybe mom isn’t such a geek, and she finalized the event by informing me that she learned three very important things. One, she has an incredible mom (of course, and no, she wasn’t buttering me up, she was truly grateful, see even my real life ties into the Morningbeansblog theme!) Second, “OMG! P!ATD were incredible – they sound better live than piped through my iPod!” And third, perhaps best of all, “mom, I really need to listen to you, I should start listening to more Weezer.” Yes, I know, proud mama who loves alternative tunes, has spawned one of my own.

And now, more music! Those of you who know me personally, know that The Cure have a very special place in my soul. Their music has saved me for over 30 years, and they are most definitely my favorite band…ever. Sunday night I got the extreme pleasure of singing to every Cure song from the 80’s and a couple of brand new tunes. Robert Smith still sounds amazing, even if time has not graced him the power of eternal youth. Such energy! And I was lucky. And yes, I did wear my Doc Martens and skinny black jeans. Did you really have to think about that? Goth girl lives on! Since it was my 30th Cure gig (not counting festivals and a weird acoustic session in a pub in Manchester somewhere in 1988, which was even better since Robert sidled up to the bar for a lager just as I did…nicest guy on earth, btw) I didn’t worry about front row seats. But I was up at the rail and I had a fantastic night!

This leads me to the friend section. I have some pretty incredible friends. Some are old and some are new (I feel like now I should add “some are red and some are blue,” …. Too many Dr. Seuss books in my past, lol) and some I just met! I was incredibly lucky to have my friend Maria with me at the Cure concert. She and I go back to the first day of college, somewhere in September 1985. We’ve been to several Cure concerts (as well as others in our genre) together, and we clubbed our brains out every weekend for years. This amazing human, my friend no matter what, drove three and a half hours to come with me Sunday night. AND, even better, my friend Lauren (who is incredibly sweet and genuine, exactly my kind of gal) and my new friend Heidi (thanks for the book club add) came too. We have been counting the days since last November! We danced, and sang, and I apologize here, publicly, for abandoning you a row behind me to get closer. I honestly couldn’t help it. Which leads me to Julie and Janos. This adorable couple, also fans almost as long as me, adopted me right there on the lawn. Janos is Greek, and when introduced, he started telling me about my name. “Helene, you see, “he said, “is Greek.” He went on to tell me the origins, and continued about oranges and apples. For those of you who have seen My Big Fat Greek Wedding, yes, nearly the same speech. I asked Julie if Janos had seen the flick. She said no, but she’d have to rent it for him now. We laughed until we cried as we both turned to Janos and said, ” Basically, we’re all fruit!” And then back to the next encore. (4 at this concert)   All the fans around me were of the same ilk, some had waited over 20 years to see The Cure. It was just a heartwarming, fun and exhilarating night.

I would be remiss if I didn’t once again reiterate …I’VE BEEN PUBLISHED! so not everyone reads literary magazines, I forgive that. It’s my niche though, along with this blog. This incredible blog that is helping me find my self, and I hope helping you to find your own piece of happy pie. There are lots of great things coming up here, so stay tuned. I’m keeping it all secret so you will be all surprised and think, ” WOW! This is one incredible blog!” And then you’ll be like that old Breck shampoo commercial, and tell a friend, who will tell a friend, and so on, and so on… Lol.

So, different from what you expected my friends? Perhaps. It really warms my heart when you guys interact with me, either here in the comments or on the Facebook page for Morning Beans. And when I see you e been back, he’ll, it feels like we’re friends and you’ve stopped in for a quick chat. You’re all my new friends, and though we all different paths, and listen to different music, we all live in that same fruit bowl. This month I really was blessed to be involved with so many great things and places and people. I hope it foreshadows and incredible and successful year. Please let me know about the awesome things going on for you! And if you think of something maybe I should mention, or talk about, tell me!
Stay caffeinated, motivated and listen to your muses. 😘☕️