It would be simpler to say what I am not passionate about!  Is there really anything I am lukewarm on? Suffice to say very little!

My passions would have to at least include Gardening, Interior Design (Interior Redo!), Cooking, Wine, Art, Real Estate, Faith, Family, My Husband ... And those who know me well understand that was stream of consciousness not order of importance                                                           .

 There is also another one: Friends? Yes Friends! Probably the most successful I have been in all my endeavors would be the relationships I have managed to preserve. Truly the gems in my life would be those wonderful women I have collected and proudly call friends.  

There are many categories these treasures fit into. Some are over 30 years enduring, some are barely a year.  Each treasured for when you met, what the circumstances were, and how much you have gone through together. And so important the sum total of all the laughs shared!

Inevitably the old enduring ones have had there ups and downs. The spats and break ups ....The "if I never hear her voice again that will be just fine with me" vow. Then only to have some near tragedy befall them and who is first on the phone to offer love and support. Yes that would be me!  Friendships among women have a flavor of schizophrenia mixed into all that binds us together. Friendships are about emotions and yes passions so there are bound to be the extreme highs and lows.Perhaps the most exquisite relationships are the ones on first site you just could not stand and yet characteristically you persevered to get to know them and found them utterly enchanting. There is also the type you meet and immediately you are smitten. You make the mental note give this one a chance she might really enrich your life.

There is also special category of she is old enough to be your mother or your daughter... How wonderful is this? All of your frames of reference are skewed and isn't it terrific. But still there is that mind similarity that tells you that we are different but oh so the same in so many ways!.

 Now that Real Estate is the focus of my life it is amazing the interesting relationships that develop. Not so hard to imagine when you understand the emotional process and the incredible intimacy that naturally occurs when you are buying or selling a home. You know you are in trouble when you start to  adore their kids, you cannot help but check and see if the new born is ok .....You accept all invitations and add them to your prayer list. You call to check on things that end up just being an excuse to talk.

Before you know it they are in your group of chosen family or as some refer to as Good FRIENDS ! Friendships are work and only worth the energy you put into them. Friends must be nurtured, sometimes weeded, sometimes they even need a little fertilizer to grow....Time consuming? Well yes!  But the rewards incredibly wonderful!