I Can Die A Happy Woman

No, I do not have any terminal disease. I should hopefully be around for quite some time. But something hit me today. I could be taken from this Earth and be happy with my life and for a few reasons.

I have birthed and semi-raised my children. I would like to give them a few more years if possible. I have a happy marriage. I see so many relationships that are nowhere near what ours is...I feel for these people.



But the creme de la creme of my life was seeing Barbra Streisand in October of 2006. It had been my life's dream to see her before I die. And I have. I first saw her in the movie A Star is Born, with Kris Kristofferson. I was hooked. I was about 14 years old at the time, but I knew I was looking at a woman to be reckoned with. She had her stuff together. Little did I know what she had done before I had been introduced to her. She had a following to be rivaled by many, but duplicated by few.

She was the quintessential...everything. She could act, direct, produce, and lest we forget, sing. Long gone are the days of real singers. Names like Judy Garland, Kate Smith, Ethel Merman. The likes of Streisand was a dying breed. No longer were singers belting them out. They were being synthesized and drowned out with special effects in the movie world. Show me a woman who can sing acapella and I will show you a real singer.

When I saw her in the arena I thought I was going to die. Tears came to my eyes as she began going through songs I knew word for word. The goosebumps never left my arms. We had tickets in the nosebleed section, but thanks to modern technology, and via big screen TV's, I was able to get a much better view of her than if I had been seated on the floor section. The price of the tickets were almost equal to my mortgage, but, to me at east, it was totally worth it.

Everyone has an idol they look up to and Streisand is mine. You hear all the rumors that she is the equivalent of a female dog, but if a man were to do what she has done in Hollywood, he would be praised. She has been ridiculed and scorned. And, she has been shunned when it comes to the Oscars. You ever want to see an un-Streaisand movie? Rent Nuts. This is not for the kiddies to see. Very adult themed, but what a performance, and yet, she was overlooked.

To each their own, but this woman inspires me and moves me to depths I can never begin to describe. She is versatile and can fill any role demanded of her. Try watching Meet the Fockers. Again, not for the kiddies, but oh so funny. When I am down or just need some calmness in my life, I just pop in one of her CDs and I am good to go. The rest of the world gets washed away and all is good.

So for all of you who have not been introduced to her, all I can say is Hello Gorgeous!