Some Things I Owe

To My Friend Gerri . . . . .

Some people resist characterization. Words cannot adequately paint their picture. Gerri is like that. We've been a part of each other's lives since 1986. She has taught me a lot about lives in general and mine in particular.

Her practical nature and problem-solving skills are excellent, similar in many ways to your GG, ninos. Except that your GG's depression-era experiences caused her to pinch her pennies, even when it made her life unreasonably hard. Gerri knows that in some cases, you can't allow money to be the issue. A lesson learned (for me).

Often, Gerri has helped me to see things in a new and more productive way. For that, and for the positive results that come from an alternative view, I will forever owe her. Some of her lessons had to do with:

• Having fun -- she has an endless repertoire of fun places to go and things worth doing. Her humor and enthusiasm are embedded in her nature. Road trips with Gerri are the best and really break the tedium for a plodder like me.
• Quitting smoking -- she nagged me into doing it and making it stick, more than twenty years ago.
• Saving money -- she asked me questions about saving for retirement and made me realize I should put a whole lot more into the effort. Thanks to her I was able to take an early retirement, spend time with your GG before she began to slip away, and live a frugal but comfortable life as I grow older.
• Raising Mame -- she was able to make sensible suggestions without interfering in the relationship. I didn't always follow her advice (setting boundaries with your mom was always difficult for me, ninos) but it helped me to understand my own behavior and make small changes over time.
• Taking care of my house --she pointed out things that needed doing and suggested practical solutions; she shared the best of her handymen and skilled craftspeople (not everybody will give up those names)
• Taking care of my car -- ditto my house
• Watching out for your GG -- Gerri overlooked a lot, not easy when you start out being called a "pinko" but she was kind and encouraging and she was always there, always there when we needed her
• Taking care of myself -- she encouraged me to get more exercise and she never, ever made me feel old or fat or unlovely.

Her friendship and loyalty have made a big difference in my life. These words cannot convey the respect, admiration and gratitude I feel for this woman, ninos. I wish that each of you might grow up to have such a compadre in your lives. If you do, and if you are able to be a good friend in return, your lives will be greatly enriched.

P.S. The picture above is Gerri on a 1987 clean-up drive. I like this one because it shows her energy and enthusiasm, even when she is doing something that most people would not consider very much fun (like picking up other people's trash). Gerri's reward for the day was finding a ten dollar bill stuck in the roadside bushes.