I feel like I’ve been spoiled this week. I rarely have spare time for myself, but somehow a window opened up twice in my week for a couple of events with my girlfriends.
A few weeks ago I joined the committee of the Sydney Symphony Vanguard Collective. My first event last Wednesday was the Vanguard’s final one for the year. I do my best work multi-tasking so I invited my friends to enjoy the evening with me. It was a good opportunity to share new music and a great excuse for me to spend some time with them.
Together we sat on milk crates in a Kings Cross carpark and listened to some incredible sounds from the cream of Sydney’s musicians. It was a fun evening that was capped off with a late supper and lots of catching up. It had been months since Derryn, Lorraine and I had been on a girls night out.
I am the only female in a house of men. Even my dog is male. So my time with the girls is like a little escape. We met through our sons who were at school together before they graduated high school last year. Naturally we discuss our sons, who are now pursuing their passions in three different universities. We update each other on our lives and mutual friends, discuss shoes and then agree to do it all again soon.
Usually that can mean months so I was delighted when I received a text message from Lorraine the next day asking if I wanted to see Coldplay with her. On a whim she had secured three tickets so the three of us were back together again within a week.
Coldplay is the crossover music in our home. It’s one of the few bands that my husband, sons and I like. Usually I am the odd one out with my lingering fondness for eighties music. The three of them bought tickets for Saturday night’s concert but I had planned to sit it out so my husband and 15-year-old could go together without mum hanging around. My husband took our eldest son to a Coldplay concert when he was about the same age and our youngest was keen to replicate the experience. This time the 19-year-old went to the concert with his mates.
On Sunday night after I’d heard what an incredible concert it was — “the best ever” according to one of my sons, I got to experience it first-hand with my friends. We sang, we danced, we laughed. It truly was a fantastic experience. And Coldplay was amazing too.
Whenever I have a night out with girlfriends we forget that we are women in our forties and fifties and just have fun. It is so important to do that from time to time. It keeps me feeling young, vibrant and inspired so I can start my work week with a new set of fresh ideas. Works every time.
Do you have enough time with your girlfriends? What is your favourite thing to do together?