THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGIN'

I hosted a “women’s nite” this past weekend. This is something I do periodically and we always have a wonderful time. I was in a rather quiet mood Saturday night, so after everyone filled their plates with munchies and got settled onto our back porch, I just sat back to enjoy listening to the conversations.

Women are capable of carrying on multiple discussions at one time. There were eight of us and at one point I noticed we’d paired up and there were four separate topics being discussed. Even while conversing with my partner, I was still able to keep an ear chimed into what the other ladies were talking about.

As my brain registered the varying topics, I started laughing and pointed out to my women friends, how our gatherings have changed over the years. In our 20’s we had “girls nites”, where we’d usually go to a bar or a night club for drinks, to dance and check out the latest hunks. We’d usually close the place down.

In our 30’s we still did “girl’s nite” only now we had to be sure our husbands could watch the children and we usually met at a restaurant somewhere, although occasionally we’d go crazy and hit a club or local bar. The conversations usually centered on diaper rash, breast feeding, sex, play groups and our children’s various activities. The night would end fairly early, so we could either tuck the little ones in or just because we were too exhausted to stay out very late.

In our 40’s we had “ladies nite” and we almost always met at an upscale restaurant. Sometimes we’d go really crazy and catch a movie after our meal. During our meals, which usually included a couple of strong drinks, we talked about divorce, cheating husbands, being bored with our lives, troubles with our jobs, the angst of raising teenagers or the sorrow of suddenly having “empty nest” syndrome. We never seemed to want to go home, but our stamina wasn’t what it used to be so we usually parted company around 11p.m. or so.

In our 50’s, (my current group) we have lots of women’s gatherings and get-togethers, but every once in awhile we’ll have an evening at a friend’s house labeled “women’s nite”. We all bring food to share and the meet up never starts later than 7p.m. On occasion we play a game together, but normally we just sit around, relaxing, stuffing our faces and sharing the latest news. Our conversations seem to center on menopause, coping with grown children who have no respect for their parents, grandchildren, aches, pains, the latest in plastic surgery, fillers and Botox injections. We also enjoy telling ribald jokes, stories about our husband’s antics or discussing the joys of being unencumbered by a mate. Our finishing times vary from 10p.m. to midnight or so, depending on our medication regime, whether we still have to work full-time or our depression levels.

I can’t wait to see what happens in my 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. As long as there aren’t any red hats with purple clothing involved…I’ll be good!