Rear View Mirror by Cindy Callinsky

We jam and enjoy the beautifully warm evening air. We gaze up at the mostly clear sky as we drive up I-5 on the way to the Waterfront.

There is something about a convertible. They give you a feeling of freedom. I think it may be because it is the closest feeling to flying other than being a bird. I feel the warm air pushing against my face and the music notes drifting through the air and into my soul.

We get to the Waterfront and hit a back road that is way up above and runs parallel to Ruston Way. We want to enjoy the view tonight, but need some privacy. We park, top down, music still going.

We start talking about girl stuff. You know the kind. It helps you get centered and feel worthy again. It is the time when you hash over old times, get totally honest with yourselves and others, and admit that you aren't the victim. You are in fact the writer of your own destiny, whatever it may be. Everyone has to take ownership for what their life is at any given moment.

I want to make it clear that you have some leeway. It iscommon sense that a woman can't get on a scale during her monthly visitor and expect it to display fair compared to when she doesn't have her monthly visitor. So if you have been through something traumatic, give yourself a break.

After a while, Candie is feeling better and we start talking about the old funny times. We talk about the time we went inter-tubing at Old McKinley Park. We didn't get snow much and when we did, it usually wasn't deep and it never lasted long. It was usually gone the next day. When we were in junior high, it had snowed a good amount. We probably had a foot. Old McKinley Park is pretty small. It has a shallow downhill slope that flattens out and is then followed by a very long steep slope. There are benches and stuff on the flat section.