Oldies but Goodies

Tonight we'll have our first "Oldies but Goodies" party here in Spring Creek. We started a group in Grantsville, too, and in West Jordan it was a similar group we started but we called that one "POAC" for "Parents of Adult Children." When I started the first group it was to satisfy my longing for a social life, and I realized right away that I wasn't the only one who needed it. We had some great times. What we did was put everyone's names in a bowl and then we drew them out to see who was going to host the next one at their home. What fun memories I have of the parties in West Jordan! And then we moved, and after awhile I decided it was time to start over again with new friends, so we got it going in our Grantsville ward. I looked forward eagerly to our monthly gatherings and was strengthened by the friendships that were cemented as we associated with one another. And tonight we're starting all over again!

I've been trying to think of a top ten list that tells how you know if you qualify to be in the Oldies but Goodies group. I'll have to post the list when I have it completed. It will include such things as "when you get together with your friends the main topic of conversation is the latest health issue you've had to deal with" or "you had to put on your bifocals to be able to read the invitation."

Speaking of health issues, I have to tell this funny story: While walking with my friends a few mornings ago, one of them said, "Today I'm going for that test that all women dread!" Now keep in mind that I'm about seventeen or eighteen years older than any of the other women with whom I walk. As we all talked about this dreaded test, I was sharing my experience with it while the others were sharing theirs. After awhile it was evident that we were not talking about the same test! For me, the most dreaded test was the colonoscopy! I couldn't believe she was actually out walking with us at six o'clock in the morning the day of her "dreaded test" because I remembered how weak I was that morning as a result of the prep you have to do to be ready for the colonoscopy. So when we realized it wasn't what I thought it was, we started talking about mammograms, for surely that's the test she meant after all! I told her she should be having it done in October, because that's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and if you have a mammogram then they give you "booby prizes" such as pink mints, pink ribbon pins, etc. We had some good laughs as we talked about our experiences with mammograms. And they all got an introduction to what they had to look forward to once they reached fifty! Then....the next day I asked my friend how the test had gone. And we once again found that our assumptions had been wrong. She hadn't gone for the mammogram! She had gone for the pap smear! Now those of you over fifty would understand my confusion, because I've experienced more dreaded "routine" tests than women under forty have even dreamed of! Oh, how we laughed when we realized the confusion in our conversation. My friend had just decided the previous day to forget about trying to make us understand what test she was talking about. I don't blame her.

I'll probably tell this story tonight at our "Oldies but Goodies" party when we're sitting around discussing our latest health problems.