eh, same diff...

So, I have this tendency to remember things. Lots of things. I also have a habit of remembering names and titles of things slightly different than the real name. Perfect example: One of my "happy places."

Most people that know me, know that I lived near Sydney, Australia. In-and-of-itself, Australia equals happy place for me. It also equates to one of the most wonderful times in my life.

When we would go into the city, I often found myself heading to Darling Harbour. Yes, it was touristy, but it was so clean and beautiful there. It became the symbol of my "happy place" in the City. If any of you have been in my house, you probably have seen the picture of the fountain that resided between the escalators - the one with the planet Earth with the human and dolphin swimming around it. I hear that the fountain is gone now...replaced it when they renovated for the Olympics.

There is one day in particular down in the harbor that brings such life into me. The day my friends and I went to see Boom Crash Opera play. We were on the harbour side, they were on a float. Tanya actually jumped in and tried to swim out there. Her efforts were thwarted by the harbour police. It was such a BEAUTIFUL day. Ironically, that's awfully close to what I kept calling my happy place: Beautiful Bay. It was often affectionately referred to as Beautiful Bay in my home - once they figured out what the heck I was referring to!

I just did something similar today and every time I do, I think so fondly of one of the best times of my life. Today, it was a song title: Burn Rubber Blues. I called it Rubber Band Blues. I could be embarassed for twisting things around, but I choose not to be. I choose to let the goofiness that is part of me give me the warm memories. And generally, the one that shares the encounter with me embraces my goofiness too.

For the few that couldn't see the joy and fun in it, theytypically don't end up being around all that long. I was happy that the friend I shared the goofiness with today seems to be the kind that enjoyed it too. I am certain they don't know how much that silly little thing made me smile today, but then again, maybe they will.