"THE JOY MACHINE!"

Today I had lunch with a very dear friend whom I had not seen for at least four months.  It's always an adventure when we get together, in conversation and spirit, and in building an array of memories.  You see, my friend Anne calls herself "The Joy Machine."  Her philosophy is that she can always make her own fun in the simplest ways and spread joy everywhere she goes.  Julia Child must have been thinking of Anne when she said, "Life itself is the proper binge," because she doesn't miss a beat in making people feel cared about and appreciated.  She listens with a kind heart, smiles endlessly, and shares stories from a lifetime of learning, which has included working as a sign language interpreter, horse trainer, high school teacher, and writer. 

But perhaps one of the things I value most about Anne is her endless curiosity.  Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity."  Anne has never stopped being curious about people and what their lives are all about.  I once had a spur-of-the-moment idea when I was with her, and said, "Let me just float this out there. . . ."  She loved it, and offered up all kinds of interesting responses.  It's often been a starting point for us in conversations and the laughter follows. 

Tonight I read an interesting phrase on Facebook, which totally applies to Anne--"Remember when you were a kid and were happy for no reason?  Be that again."  I immediately thought of my delightful one-of-a-kind friend.  She's added to my life in a thousand ways and I will be forever grateful that I met her several decades ago.

Here are some quotes that make me think of this special friend:

     "Stay is a charming word in a friend's vocabulary."  (Louisa May Alcott).  Anne has remained an endearing friend through many challenging times in my life. 

     "The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts; and the art of life is to have as many of them as possible."  (Michel de Montaigne).

     "You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late."  (Old Proverb)

     "The best way to know God is to love many things."  (Vincent van Gogh).

     "We all live with the objective of being happy; our lives are all different and yet the same."  (Anne Frank).

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