I miss the good ol’ days

I miss barbies
on the floor with Keely
where we built whole villages and had entire dramas play out for hours

I miss Kings Quest
on the old IBM with the joystick
and listening to Madonna tapes over and over until all lyrics were memorized

I miss drama class
at the Art Center with Margie
who walked up the steps from the snack machine with me before we took our acting exercises very seriously

I miss long walks
in the neighborhood with Rachel
when walking was the only way to have freedom and we would talk and laugh

I miss college lunch dates
at the Hub with Sara
where we piled salad, sprouts and ranch into plastic containers and chose a roll with care

I miss Must See TV
on the couch with Greg
and all the characters- from Friends to ER – that we had to check in with each week

I miss teaching
in the 6th grade hall with the Wolves
because once a Wolf, always a Wolf and if you were ever a Wolf, previously known as a Wolverine, you know what I mean without this verse of poetry

I miss late night get togethers
in my living room with Kris and Mardi
who would sneak over after my kids fell asleep, and patiently stay if I had to nurse a baby back to sleep

I miss traveling
to New York with Kris and Mardi and Krista
and the growing traditions of dinner and walking and the constant search for a perfect piece of pizza for Kris

I miss staycations
that were really vacations with Sara’s family
when the kids piled up to watch movies or play games and the grown ups talked and Jason made the drinks

I miss backyard fun
which was actually inside at Kathleen’s
when we gathered together to enjoy fine wine and also BBQ chips but best of all, each others’ company

I miss the good ol’ days
which I get are also happening right now
while I reflect on the good ol’ days from before