The Midlife

In the spirit of the holiday weekend (and in many ways not connected to the holiday at all), I wanted to hash out three things from this past week: my work bestie’s retirement, Bill Cosby’s release, and Britney Spears’ on-going conservatorship. Here goes…

Work is so much more fun when you have one (and in my case, three) work bestie. The person you can laugh about unfair work policies and the ridiculousness of human behavior when customers are weird. Someone you can cry with when nothing seems to be going right and someone to celebrate life’s various ups. Well, one of my nearest and dearest has decided to roll the dice and retire. I say roll the dice, because it’s always a game of chance in figuring out when is a good time to pay too much for health insurance and map out your golden days (hopefully filled with mostly travel and limited joint pain). I’m a few years from making that decision, but I would imagine the thoughts go something like this:

Me to my Brain: So, when do you think I’ll lose my marbles?

Brain to Me: Hmmm… well, you are on the right path. I can’t really tell when, though.

Me to Body: Any idea when you’ll die on me?

Body to Me: Too soon to tell. Please ask later.

In all seriousness, work will not be the same without my friend. She was my friend, sister, aunty, mom, and confidant all rolled into one. Her wisdom about work and life, in general, really pushed me to be my very best and kept me on my work game. We argued a handful of times over the past 15 years and even in those disagreements, the aftermath was always rooted in love and mutual respect. If you’re lucky to know such a person and be loved by them in return, embrace the beautiful moments you share. It seems they go in a blink.

Moving on to Bill Cosby. I can remember when America’s favorite sitcom Dad could do no wrong. With his whimsical sweaters and ads for those delicious Jell-o pudding pops, he was the epitome of cool Dad vibes. Fast-forward to today, even if his release signifies freedom from prison, his name in the mouths of anyone at this point is tainted and full of scandal. Gone are the truly innocent days of Picture Pages and Fat Albert. There’s no coming back from the judgment in the court of public opinion and perhaps that is the only real semblance of justice for his victims.

Lastly, my heart goes out to Britney Spears. (Fun fact: I’ve seen her twice in concert. And although she is a skilled lip-syncher, there is no disputing her wonderful abilities as a stage performer.) I know she had a public hiccup years ago, but there are many things wrong about a nearly 40-year-old mom not allowed to manage her own life and well-earned money. It’s my grand hope that somehow justice does prevail and she can claim her life back, completely and on her terms.

Let freedom ring!