It’s action time! Read what we are doing with a Sunday football party, and also about friends who are fighting, one to be there for her family and the other against personal demons. Plus, there’s something special in my life! Read on…

What’s Sunday football without a party with friends? That’s exactly what Rick told me on the phone. This is an annual ritual for our stud. This will be the first Sunday football bash at his new pad. Obviously he’s very excited about it. You cannot say the same about Kaitlin though. Kaitlin has never been very fond of these parties and other loud bashes that Rick likes to throw for his pals. To her these are nothing but intrusions into their private sphere. And I do think Kaitlin is right to a certain extent.

Anyway, cut to the main story: Rick wants a theme party this time around. He’s called all of us over. Rick is doing up his living room with some decorations with football gear. He’s asked us to turn up in jerseys, preferably with team colors. I think this will be a very exciting get together. Kaitlin decided to play sport, too. I heard that the girls will be having a party by the side as well! That’s a whale of a time, I assure you! As for you guys, have fun and cheer loud!

All it takes is a smile to convey a thousand words. I met Sarah for coffee at Starbucks after work. I have noted with increased wonder that Sarah is a complete stress buster. As a writer, more often than not, there is a clutter of thoughts making haphazard movements in my mind. Talking to Sarah puts them at peace in a way that I cannot explain in words. Because Sarah is such an intelligent woman, it really helps when I bounce ideas off her. They come back in a more refined, collected way. The inherent conflict is resolved.

During our talk that evening, I asked Sarah her thoughts about Valentine’s Day. I was expecting Sarah to say something on the lines that every day and moment spent in love is similar to Valentine’s Day or some similar cliche. Instead, Sarah said that Valentine’s Day was special because that’s when you celebrate the feeling of love that you nurture on the other days of the year. I pressed further, “Do you have anything to celebrate this year?” Sarah looked me in the eye and smiled. I’m not talented enough as a writer to convey in words what her smile told me.

Donna is finding it difficult these days to carve out time for her teenage children. As you guys are aware, these days are times when we all have to work longer hours just to stay put in the workforce. And the other ghastly alternative is not something that a single working mother would entertain even in the worst nightmare. Donna is not someone who complains but sometimes the collective helplessness gets to her and that’s only normal. The icing on the cake is that you cannot let this affect your work.

Donna was talking to me the other day about things and how they are turning for the worse. Though colleagues are helpful, ultimately you have to stand up for yourself. In all this her children, Ethan and Emily, hardly get to see their mother. By the time Donna is done at work and covers the commuting distance, they are well past their urge to share their lives with her. Donna rues missing out on the little pleasures of being with her children as they grow up. I agree with her when Donna says that to value an immediate need, irreparable damage is being done to the future.

Adrian has a problem swelling up within him. That’s his growing anger at things. With his career hardly going great guns and Cathy hinting at the prospect of settling down, Adrian seems to be a man with some really rough edges this season. But he’s not over the cliff yet. Cathy herself was the first person to recognize this dangerous trait in him. And you can trust Cathy to take necessary steps when the problem has been identified. Thanks to her insistences, Adrian is now on a sort of anger management program. Only, it’s not official!

Cathy suggested some simple yet effective steps to Adrian. Like holding back and avoid saying anything when the anger monster has you by the throat. I have often found him laughing away when his team is losing on television. The other day I forgot to stash away the dishes after dinner. This irks him badly. But instead of the usual, he took blame for it with a smiling face and shrugged, “I should have reminded you!” and proceeded to do the unfinished task himself. If you are in his situation, you can try these out. They certainly work!

Let’s sign off this edition with a Charles Gordy quote on smiles: “A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.”