I know, I know, everyone says it, I sing it “…If I die younnng…” and “Liiiiiiive like you are dying…” and guess what? They’re just words that are incredibly easy to say. Struggling to find something interesting to share with my friends after our quiet holidays, this morning on the loo (my only place for quiet contemplation) I read the words “You may die today”. I had a genuine “Ahaaaa” moment. In this world of worry, I’m guilty as hell and a step away from the gallows (too much Netflix…Wait! That’s an oxymoron!) I’m always looking forward to “my next closing” or “when my books become movies or series” or…

We three Besties, two from South Africa and I from sunny FLA, arrived at last, in London. We’d anticipated this coming together for more than a year. Our flat in the heart of Shepherds Bush, was advertised as an “elegant one bedroom apartment.” It was cuteish, clean, and functional – for tiny people. Boy! One skilled videographer used his super-duper-wide-angle lens effectively! My friends – both organized sorts – chose corners for their stuff and stayed within that radius, while my always-open suitcase looked like a giant disemboweled rag doll spewing clothes.  Girl-stuff, like hot lava, spread from window to front door. Ridiculously rabid radiator heat forced us to keep…

Teachers and nurses get the short end of the pointer/thermometer. Patience is their middle name. Nurturers of mind and body, they perform at optimum in spite of the abuse they take from kids, patients, headmasters, doctors, parents, and family members. They could never be paid what they’re truly worth. I know two great teachers – the youngest is my Pretty who spawned this vignette. “Pretty” is my name for the daughter of our Bestie, Kitty. A divine young woman, Pretty shines her light on all of us lucky enough to catch a ride on her shimmering wake. She lavishes unconditional love, supreme kindness, gentle guidance, and her intuitive essence onto…

Before marriage, my friends and I were ravenous for a peep into our futures. If I’d saved all the money I spent on fortune tellers over the years, I’d live in a home directly on the ocean. In Malibu. Though we promised never to take our visits too seriously, most of the bad stuff lingered – like when our friend Kitty was told her brother would die “shortly.” Terrifying right? Fortunately he’s reached a ripe old age. Phew! We three friends can relax after 4.2 decades! Tea leaves and Tarot cards were our staple. The general consensus from a multitude of mediums was I would travel the world, marry a…

I grew up in a musical family. My mother occasionally taught syncopation, my father played the harmonica like James Cotton. Our house was filled with everything from Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to honky tonk. When they weren’t practicing, jamming, or having sing-songs with their friends, they danced to tunes emitting loudly from the record player. There was something about French in my house. Whenever “La Vie en Rose” played on the radio, my dad would dip my mom in a seductive tango over the bubbling dinner gravy, while dogs barked, and I twirled in my new ballet shoes. The only reason my mom schlepped me to ballet was because she’d discovered…

Coming to live in America from South Africa in the late 80s was steeped in differences, but not for obvious reasons. Yes, we spoke the same language, but we held our forks in left hands; drove on the “right” side of the road; and we said “Have a nice day,” and meant it. We bought our trendy threads at boutiques not voluminous clothing stores with too many choices. Our norm was to endure an airport-worthy, single-body-scan-tubes before entering our local bank to draw money.  Imagine then, the shock of cruising casually in and out of a drive-through to cash a check! The chasm was as wide as being served a…