First Night

Last night I sat down with five women--three of whom I already knew--and plunged into our new short story discussion group. We're meeting monthly to talk short story--our first, "Why I Live at the P.O." by Welty.

Last night, however, there was no short story talk--only introductions that led to talk about husbands, kids, jobs, illness, depression, anxiety, isolation, and re-creating ourselves in midlife (everyone was 40-50). Sounds depressing, right?

Not at all!

We talked, laughed, shared, gabbed, drank $2 margaritas, and planned the next meeting--where we will surely discuss Welty's prose.

It was interesting to hear these other women talk about the same problems I've been dealing with for the last two years. And more. Gave me a better outlook on Tuesday than I've had in some time.

Here's a link to Welty's story online: hilariously Southern!   http://art-bin.com/art/or_weltypostoff.html