Life is filled with unexpected little pleasures, treasures, newsy news and of course, darlings, the unexpected. I call these lightbulb moments. I had a series of lightbulb moments the other week, which I refer to as ‘The Week That Was.’ It razzled, dazzled and frazzled me in multiple ways!

My lightbulb moments from that week included serendipity, photography, good luck and health.

1. Serendipitous Occurrences

It was a Friday night at Gibson’s Restaurant. My ultimate concierge and I were having dinner with a friend when, out of the corner of my eye, a stranger approached our table.

With a big smile and a bubbly personality, she said, ” My name is Diane and we were suitemates in college.” Darlings, that meant I have known this woman since I was 18 years old!

I was speechless and taken aback but smiled broadly, introducing my husband and our friend. She could tell I neither remembered her nor her name and she said, “You don’t remember me.” And then she said, “I know you are from Kankakee by the Sea.”

Using Vulnerability To Reignite Prior Friendships

Now I really stared up at her. She went on to tell me she reads my blog, Honey Good. I asked her how she found my website. “Serendipity,” she said. What a lightbulb moment. I was a bit frazzled, but far more dazzled, so I asked her where she lived because I wanted to ask her to have lunch.

Her apartment was only a ten-minute walk from my apartment in the sky. So, I said, “Let’s have lunch!” With her bubbly outgoing personality, she told me she would love to!

As I lay in bed that night looking out at the stary sky, these thoughts went through my mind. We were in the same restaurant at the same time in the same room within each other’s peripheral vision. Our meeting was supposed to happen.

And then I thought of another incident when I was in the same beauty shop at the same time as another college suitemate. We reunited and became very close friends.

The Moral of This Story: Believe in Serendipity

As I looked out of the window at the stary night before closing my eyes, I smiled at the thought of reuniting with Diane over lunch the following week.

Renew your friendships, darlings. Pick up the phone right now and make that call or start searching for that friend you met many years ago.

2. Lunch in Kankakee by the Sea

Monthly, my classmates gather for lunch in Kankakee by the Sea. Once a summer, my ultimate concierge and I drive to Kankakee by the Sea and join them. I look forward to the day because I learn more and more about their lives.

After lunch, my ultimate concierge and I drive by my home, my grandfather’s home, my relatives’ homes and through the town. It is a nostalgic feeling, a warm feeling, a proud feeling as I think of my large family and their accomplishments. It’s comforting being part of that large family, now scattered from Massachusetts to California and even Israel.

My last thought as Chicago and her tall architecture came into view: You can take the girl out of the small town, but you can’t take the small town out of the girl.

The Moral of This Story: Show Your Grands Your World

Visit your city or town with your grandchildren to actually show them as you tell them the story of their family history. Show them your schools, your home, your church or synagogue and tell them family stories that they will pass onto their children.

3. Vivian Maier’s Legacy Lives On

I opened our Chicago Tribune Newspaper and quickly read that the University of Chicago received thousands of never before seen photographs printed by Vivian Maier. Ms. Maier was a nanny in Chicago who became famous after her passing for her photographic eye.

Please enjoy the Academy Award-nominated documentary, “Finding Vivian Maier” on Netflix to learn more about her. Vivian Maier’s photography has brought joy into my life.

Life Imitates Art Imitates Life

Two years ago, I watched the documentary. A few months later, I purchased a blouse with an image of Chicago and Maier’s camera printed on the front of the blouse so it looked like I was wearing her old-fashioned camera.

I walked into a woman’s store wearing it and out walked a woman from the dressing room who said, “You are wearing Vivian Maier’s camera!.”

Moral of This Story: Open Your Eyes to the Art of Photography

We both laughed and that began a new friendship that has bloomed into a close one. And now I open our newspaper to a large article showing Vivian Maier with accolades she so deserves and at long last, finding a home for her extraordinary photography of my beautiful Chicago and the citizens from the heartland of America.

When I look at her photograph on our wall, I always experience heartfelt joy. Art has a way of doing that for our soul, doesn’t it?

4. A Visit From Joe

Our grandson Joe Good visited with us last week. He flew in from California for four days.

He lovingly remembered to bring back red strings form Jerusalem that he knew would make me very happy. Most of you know that my ultimate concierge and I each wear our red string on our left wrists, closest to our heart, to guard and protect us.

You know most everyone wears and carries a good-luck piece. My red string is from my grandson, Joe. I carry a signed $2 bill in my wallet from Shelly. I wear a bracelet with the evil eye from my girlfriend Cass and I have a prayer from one of my daughters tucked safely away in my wallet.

Moral of This Story: A Good Luck Gift is a Wonderful Way to Show Your Emotions

You never forget any individual who gives you a good luck gift. It is a gift that touches your heart.

5. The Inner You Determines The Outer You

This last story should have a thousand exclamation points after it, as our health is oh so important!

We just took our shingles vaccines. There are a series of two shots that must be taken within six months of each other.

Here are a few other tests to think about if you haven’t visited the doctor in some time. If you are not sure you are protected from the measles, there is a blood test to check your immunity. Pneumonia is important if you are over 65. The Tetanus vaccine is every 10 years. Those born in 1957 or later need their MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) and Chicken Pox is required once.

An Extremely Important Moral of This Story: Please Take Your Vaccines!

An apple a day keeps the doctor away and so do your vaccines.

More updates next week on my weekly lightbulb moments. Nurse Florence Nightingale signing out!

Do you see any similarities between my lightbulb moments from “The Week That Was” and recent experiences you’ve had? Let me know on Facebook or in the comments below.

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