over half my life

While watching my friend Manny's band perform on Friday night, I was suddenly struck with an amazing thought.  I've known Karyce and Manny over half my life. Over HALF of my life. It made tears well up in my eyes and made me think of continuity, my personal history and what is important.

I was born in Massachusetts, lived in Western Pennsylvania and now in Chicago. What defines home?  I've lived her longer than I've lived anywhere else, combined. My fondest memories and closest people are here. Sitting in a banquet hall on a golf course in suburban Bolingbrook, Illinois, I felt complete.

During the show's intermission we talked about our present and our past. Relived the old stories that get retold every time we're together. Manny and I going out to breakfast together at Mitchell's as he mimicked the restaurant syrup scene from "Rain Man," much to my delight and slight embarassment. John and Manny,  downing an extra-large pizza, wine coolers and an entire apple pie and then playing tennis on an 80 degree summer day-- both of them got sick. Karyce and I spending all day working together at Ernst & Whinney, then going home and talking on the phone for over 3+ hours a night. Lavish dinner dances. Boisterous family Christmases and Thanksgivings. Teaching Manny to ice skate. Karyce pointing her extremely long fingernails at me and calling me "heifer."

I took pictures last night and then came home and dug though my photo albums to find the old ones (you'll be able to tell fairly readily which are which!). We're all older, maybe wiser, less hair, grey hair, but the laughter and the joy has not dimished over time.  History is a wonderful thing.