Friday Fun Club

It's on Fridays, it's Fun, and it's a Club  -  The official Friday Fun Club mission statement.

What else can I say about it?  Friday Fun Club, or FFC, is a tradition in my little section of the world that began about 3 years ago.  About that time, I helped get my BFF, Michelle, a job at our elementary school (and by "helping" I mean I told the school secretary that she'd be fun to have at the school).  We soon discovered that Friday afternoons were just begging for a little Hen time.  A little wine, a little conversation.  A little fun, if you know what I mean.

And FFC was born.

We also had a few Tuesday Fun Club meetings, and some Thursday ones, and yes I think on occasion we met on Mondays.  But now that we're getting older, and have more responsibilities and these pesky things known as jobs, the Club is a Friday-only event.

I look forward to Friday Fun Club all week long.  Not only for the refreshments, but because it has morphed into something special, something memorable and sweet.  We are the two anchor members, and believe me, there are plenty of Fridays when it's just the two of us.  Those meetings usually end up with us crying and telling each other "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH."  So it's nice when there are other friends in the mix.

We both have kids, and plenty of them, so sometimes the FFC is just a quick sit down after work.  We kick off our sexy Danskos and relax on her couches for just a little spell, sometimes we don't even imbibe.  If the kids have games or playdates or other activities that require adult transportation or supervision, we cut our FFC time short.  But that's ok. As long as we have a few moments to unwind, dish about the week, and cackle we're all good.

One of my favorite things is when we get fresh meat into the FFC.  A new hen who hasn't joined us before.  They usually just sit there for a moment, observing the "old timers" as we help ourselves to munchies and getting more ice and giving each other refills.  It doesn't take long, though, before they jump in and by the time FFC wraps up, they are truly part of the gang.  I love when I'm walking down the halls of the school, or even better, when I bump into a lady friend at the grocery store or Target and they look at me with a gleam in their eye and say, "Friday Fun Club?".

It's like Fight Club without all the hitting.  And we don't deny its existence.  Oh, and no yummy Ed Norton.  But the similarity is there. 

I know I go on and on about friendships and how important they are to me, but I truly believe that all women need them.  I think they are essential to being well balanced, a key piece of the patchwork quilt that makes up our lives.  Your friends can help you with just about any problem you have, and I'm always amazed at how much I have to offer them in return.  Whether it's a shoulder to cry on, a wry observation or a much needed guffaw, we all get, and we all give something to each other.  Something vital.  Something awesome.

Contrary to what some hens might think, there is no gossip at the Friday Fun Club.  That's one of the things I love most about my BFF Michelle.  She doesn't talk smack about anyone.  And I mean that...if she has a problem with another person, if she's heard something through the grapevine or whatever, she'll confront the person.  And she'll do it in a way that isn't threatening, or mean.  She calls 'em like she sees 'em, and I admire that quality about her.  I'm sick to death of hearsay and whispered rumors and finding out things about friends that I wish I hadn't.  We're too old for that kind of crap, and besides...who can you trust in this life if not your hens?  No, the conversations we have at the club are random, wonderful pot-luck style gab sessions that cover anything from food, to what we're all going to do when the husbands pass away and we're old widows (we are buying a one-level condo and it's going to be like Friends, geriatric style).  The goal of the Friday Fun Club is just that:  fun. 

So if you happen to run into me on any given Friday, and you notice a spring in my step or a wider-than-normal smile on my face, now you know why.

Because it's Friday.

Have a beautiful day my friends.