These days we must take comfort where we can. Lately I have been heading to Shady Pines for my daily dose of hilarity thanks to my Facebook friendship with Ester Goldberg.
Instead of pursuing quiet routines during their twilight years, the Shady Pines women smoke, curse, drink to excess, and pursue much younger pool boys. They do not quietly blend in with their surroundings, preferring bright, psychedelic colors, oversize patterns, and gravity-defining beehives. For them, life is for living. Too much of a good thing is just the right amount. And when they meet their maker, she’s in for an earful.
Living in an Instagramable universe where main character energy is reserved for the young, the ladies of Shady Pines remind us that excessive amounts of chutzpa and hairspray are the way to go. Rules are disregarded, afternoons enlivened with Manischewitz Martinis, and when Toots Malone flirts with her “legendary bedroom eyes” she’s “doing the Lord's work”. Alternatively, you could be like Muriel and opt for a “special friend Tuesday casserole companion”.
So, while IRL we weather skyrocketing inflation and multiple wars, the women of Shady Pines are a daily reminder that there is joy to be had for those bold enough to carpe that diem. Like those intrepid ladies of Shady Pines, you should life your best life with gusto and panache...and liberal amounts of hairspray with a vodka chaser.
I’m Frances Jaeger and this is my Perspective.