All About The Joy
All About The Joy is a weekly hang-out with friends in the neighborhood! We share insight, advice, funny-isms and we choose to always try and find the positive, the silver lining, the "light" in all of it. AATJ comes from the simple concept that at the end of the day we all want to have more JOY than not. So, this is a cool place to unwind, have a laugh and share some time with friends!
All About The Joy
All About the Joy of Aging: Navigating Life's Ups and Downs, Chaos and Nostalgia
We explore the vital connection between childhood joy and adult happiness, sharing personal stories that highlight how simple pleasures can still influence our lives. The conversation weaves through topics like the importance of connection, experiences at Disneyland, the struggles of aging, and how to reclaim our inner child. By focusing on gratitude and joy from our youth, we encourage listeners to revisit those moments that bring us happiness.
• Connection through shared experiences
• The significance of kindness in tough times
• Recollections of Disneyland as joyful escapes
• Conversations about aging and related challenges
• The quest to reclaim childhood joys
• Finding happiness and gratitude in daily life
Thank you for stopping by. Please visit our website: All About The Joy and add, like and share. You can also support us by shopping at our STORE - We'd appreciate that greatly. Also, if you want to find us anywhere on social media, please check out the link in bio page.
Music By Geovane Bruno, Moments, 3481
Editing by Team A-J
Host, Carmen Lezeth
DISCLAIMER: As always, please do your own research and understand that the opinions in this podcast and livestream are meant for entertainment purposes only. States and other areas may have different rules and regulations governing certain aspects discussed in this podcast. Nothing in our podcast or livestream is meant to be medical or legal advice. Please use common sense, and when in doubt, ask a professional for advice, assistance, help and guidance.
Hi everyone, welcome to All About the Joy, the private lounge. Hi, Cynthia, hi, rick, how are you? Are we going to do our best, fake selves like we weren't just talking in the green room? No, no. So this is our first kind uh, hopefully weekly conversation where it's just us. Maybe we'll have guests or whatever. But what we're changing here is we're going to be having the live stream neighborhood chat on friday nights and that's going to kind of just be. Everyone can hang out, have a drink and I I mean non-alcoholic beverages of, of course, you know, I just pull up a chair and chit chat about the week and I don't have to worry about editing or anybody doing anything or whatever. We can just hang out for the hour and it'll just be chill. But we're going to have these private lounges where we can just kind of have these conversations that we usually have in the green room, but hopefully have them now, and we but don't say anything you don't want aired, because this will be on youtube and then it will also be on the podcast.
Speaker 1:So how are you guys doing? Okay, it's been a rough week. Okay, you know what? Before you start, we have mario and alma have just entered the green room. Let me just get them on the show. Hold up one second, okay. Oh, why am I having a problem here? Because technical difficulties. Hold up, hi Mario, hi Alma. We are already recording.
Speaker 4:Hey.
Speaker 1:Hey, how you guys doing.
Speaker 4:Okay, trying to figure this stuff out with two of us.
Speaker 1:You're looking good. You look fabulous, though. Thank, you. Let me just say for the people on the podcast who might just be listening Mario just entered the room along with Alma, his better half.
Speaker 3:Okay, Don't come talking with me.
Speaker 1:Okay, I already did all the intro, whatever right, and we're going to talk with Cynthia because she has some juice about what happened to her this week. I hope it's good.
Speaker 3:Go ahead. I don't know why short weeks always feel longer, but it's been a rough week. I don't know what was wrong with me this week, but I was in a mood the other day and nothing was going right for me, from it being busy at work to fixing an issue I had a mistake I made with the doctor, but he was fine with it if I fixed it To getting home late, to ordering food the food not even being right had to go back to the restaurant get the right food.
Speaker 3:Juan almost losing his phone. It was a mess.
Speaker 2:Oh no.
Speaker 1:Wait.
Speaker 2:Juan.
Speaker 1:Wait, wait, wait. Juan lost his phone. Does that mean we're getting his?
Speaker 5:phone.
Speaker 3:Oh, we found it. We found it, oh, darn.
Speaker 1:Darn, I was like darn so close.
Speaker 3:But yeah, it was a rough few days.
Speaker 1:So do you have to work tomorrow, though? Are you done for the week?
Speaker 3:No, no, I'm working tomorrow. Maybe tomorrow will be great. I hope so, because the doctor won't be there. He's in the Philippines. He left today, okay.
Speaker 1:He'll be gone for a whole week. Is that a good thing with the other co-worker who we love? We love the other co-worker.
Speaker 3:No, it'll be fine, because if it's not too crazy busy, she kind of gets to herself now Okay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, cool Good. I think you're smiling, so I think that's a good thing. Yeah, yeah, today wasn't bad, so, okay, good. Okay, rick, how about you?
Speaker 5:How was your week? Work wasn't too too bad, thankfully. Thankfully, I had a funny moment today, so I had to call somebody in Puerto Rico and they put me on hold and they had this really funky Puerto Rican music. I was like, oh, this is Puerto Rican.
Speaker 4:This is Puerto Rican. This is Puerto Rican, puerto Rican.
Speaker 5:Puerto Rican yeah, mom, situation that's been rough this week.
Speaker 1:Did you ever get your day off for your birthday? Did your cousin?
Speaker 5:No, she actually came over last weekend and said nothing about it. Oh wow.
Speaker 1:I am so. Wow, what'd you say, cynthia? I said that's not nice.
Speaker 2:It's always family that sometimes does you the worst.
Speaker 1:Right, you can't give a gift like that and then not follow through, right.
Speaker 5:She did give me something, though she said oh my gosh, why didn't I think about this? First she gave me a gift certificate, a gift card rather, for Hulu. I was like okay, you know, I'm not a big hulu person, whatever. But then she's like what am I doing? I could put you under my account. So now I have hulu and disney under her account for free.
Speaker 1:I thought you had that before.
Speaker 5:I mean not that you did that, but I thought you had my brother has all that and I think he uses xbox access, all that, but I don't even know how to use his Xbox.
Speaker 1:I'm so not a gamer Got it, got it, okay. Well, that's something, but I still think you need the day off. So, if they are listening, I'm just saying you mentioned that one of that gifts was for your birthday. For the day off, take care of your mom so you can have a day to yourself. I just think you know, think, follow through on that. A few hours would be nice. Okay, we're going to pray on that.
Speaker 2:Yes, we are yes we are.
Speaker 3:Mario.
Speaker 1:Alma, please individually share how was your week?
Speaker 4:Ladies first.
Speaker 2:Oh, gosh, gosh, it's been. It's been a week. You know, like you said, short weeks are always, I don't know. All the work gets condensed into the few days and people just feel like they have to get everything done on the day that year open. You know, there's like it's just you know, and then they have to get everything done on the day that you're open. You know, there's like it's just you know, and then just kindness goes a long way.
Speaker 2:I just want to say that, and some people just are not kind, so you just have to, I have to fix my face and adjust my attitude. You know, and I fail at that at times, and you know, I feel bad about it after, but during they deserve it. So I just, you know, I, just, I give the energy I receive. I'll just say it like that I give the energy that I receive. Of course I don't, you know, curse or anything like that, but whatever energy they bring to me, I respond and then they're taken aback because, you know, I and no, I'm not the, I'm not the type that the customer's always right. I don't believe in that.
Speaker 2:You respect me, I respect you, so you know. So, yeah, so someone got a taste of that this week, so I.
Speaker 1:I was gonna say the same thing that, like I'm, I'm the same way you, you. You're gonna get what you give. You know what I mean. Like, if you treat me a certain way, it's coming and it's gonna come back for me tenfold like I'm going. I do swear I don't work in a school, though I don't work in a school yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm.
Speaker 1:I've told Cynthia I don't know how many times, though, I don't work in a school. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I've told Cynthia I don't know how many times. I know I'm in hell and getting closer up in the line. I'm fine with that. I'm ready, I'm there already.
Speaker 2:You're that meme where you're up at the curly gates and then they talk about. They show you what you did in the it's not stairs, it's a slide.
Speaker 3:You slide all the way down. I love that one. It's a game of shoot the ladders.
Speaker 2:You're going straight down.
Speaker 1:I've already known that I'm there for a long time, but it's the same thing with me. I absolutely cannot even bite my tongue because I've never been that person. But not, I just don't care anymore.
Speaker 2:You know, so I hear you, but you a better person than I am? Well, yeah, you know. And the thing is, you know, I've been, I've been working for the schools, let's say, you know, 25 years now, so I know a lot of policies. So when people try, and you know, and I always say, well, there's always, I'm always learning, because policy always changes, of course, well, maybe something's changed. You know, I always give room for grace but I'm like, no, no, and then people are going to be like, well, I'm going to call, go ahead and call. My name is A-L-M-A-D-A-W-S-O-N. Please call and let them know that I'm doing my job. Please call. Please call and let them know I'm doing my job.
Speaker 1:I like your face, la cara, the way you're saying it.
Speaker 2:So it's like you know, whichever way you want it, I can do it either way.
Speaker 1:I know so it burns the more because you're like, oh yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 2:And then I do you want me to call? Oh, please call them. Call and let them know I'm doing my job. And then sometimes I know that I've crossed the line. I go tell on myself and I tell my boss I'll take the write up. I'm just letting you know. If this happens today, I will take the write-up. And when I say that she knows, uh-oh, she's like okay, no, no, I'll handle it.
Speaker 1:What's the write-up mean and? I'm sorry, just because you work in the school system so I don't know what that means.
Speaker 2:So, basically, you know, there's certain, like you said, I work at a school district, so there's certain ways that I'm supposed to, of course, speak to the public, or or with, with, with co-workers. I'll say it, but you know, people will try you, you know, and I understand that, but I'm sorry, I didn't mean that oh the writer part so let's
Speaker 2:say so let's say I, I give a lot of attitude or I do something as a what they feel like it's retaliation, like I'll let her know this is happening today If they come at me this way. So I will take the write-up, meaning I'll get written up, and that's okay. But written up for what, though? Like they take money, I say written up for girl, there's lots of I'm not going to tell on. Said written up for it, girl, there's lots of I'm not going to tell on myself. But there's stuff, oh, there's things, there's things.
Speaker 2:And I let her know this is what I'm going to do A, B, C and I'm just letting you know now, if this happens, it's because of this and I a lot Sign out, Do it and go home, Guys.
Speaker 4:Basically I'm just like try Jesus, not me.
Speaker 1:You would have been the teacher you know who. She reminds me of Cynthia Alice McIntyre. Right, that's the kind of teacher you know. She is that teacher that you love. She's all about her students. She's going to put up with no crap. You know what I mean.
Speaker 2:My babies know they come into the office about her students. She gonna put up with no crap. You know what I mean. But yeah, and I know my babies know they come into the office. They know they better not be faking, they better not be, because I'll be like uh, did you just play this whole time, right? And you're coming in here telling me you're you feel sick, go drink some water, go to the bathroom, come back at your next recess time if you still feel unwell, and then we'll talk about it, like you know. And half the time I won't see them again because they want to play. They know they weren't sick, they just didn't want to do work so you, you also have to work tomorrow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, because you guys have to work tomorrow, okay, so you're smiling too, so that was good. So, mario, how you doing? How was your week?
Speaker 4:My week was good. It was easy, as per usual. I went to the gym, you know, three times, no, four times this week and went to Disneyland. That's it.
Speaker 1:What is the Disneyland? I don't understand. Isn't that a trek for you? Is there a Disneyland right here that I don't know about?
Speaker 4:Yeah, it's right down the street, is it in?
Speaker 1:Anaheim that's like an hour from us.
Speaker 4:No, it's not. It's 35 minutes on a good drive, it's good. Oh, come on now. It's wonderful. Look at this. You have to remember that's my moment right there, that's my moment. I do it now because I get tired of going to the gym or I get tired of doing the monotony thing of walking around the neighborhood, so I'd go to Disneyland and walk around there. Yesterday I did like 18,000 steps so I was like, okay, yeah, this is good.
Speaker 1:Seriously, when I had to go to Anaheim the few times that I go to Anaheim during the year, for anyway, it doesn't matter I forget why I was in Anaheim. It was for one of the cons. What did I go for?
Speaker 4:Was it D23?
Speaker 1:No, that wasn't in Anaheim. Is that in Anaheim?
Speaker 4:Yes, it is.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, I went there too. There was no 35-minute ride.
Speaker 2:You were swinging. You were swinging, apparently. Well, we get in the carpool lane. Well, we get in the carpool lane.
Speaker 1:I do fast track.
Speaker 4:I'm on my way.
Speaker 1:I'm happy for you. You sound happy. Whatever, we love going.
Speaker 2:It's awesome, so we love going.
Speaker 3:It's awesome.
Speaker 2:What are you talking about? You walk in and it's like, oh, all the stresses go away. You go have snacks.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know.
Speaker 1:I just I I'm always laughing about um the Disney obsession, and I say it respectfully Cause I really don't understand it. It's not even about the crowds or anything, cause we know I have those issues Right. It's not even that like I just I've never been that respectfully, cause I don't want to get yelled at, but like I'm just I don't get it, I don't get the character, love of it.
Speaker 4:It's not the character love for me, it's the rides, it's the entertainment, it's the rollercoasters.
Speaker 1:It's the joy.
Speaker 4:It's the joy of it all. It brings me joy.
Speaker 2:For me, it is the characters I'm standing in line.
Speaker 4:I'll stand in line.
Speaker 2:I'll stand in line to get a kiss from Goofy. That's my man.
Speaker 1:Cynthia, are you the same way? Who's your man at Disney Goofy?
Speaker 3:I'd say Goofy, I have lots of them.
Speaker 2:I'll stand in line for all of them. There was this time when they had the Parade of Dreams and you would literally get selected and be in the parade. I literally was in it like four times because I knew where the bus would pick up people who wanted to be in it, and so then I literally was in it like four different times and you get a special edition pin that you have and only the people who participated in it have it.
Speaker 1:When you come to California, go to Lumira.
Speaker 4:When you come back to LA. That's when you know who to call.
Speaker 2:So that's the type of fan I am, so like I've been in the parades. All of it, all of that. So yeah, I've all of it, all of that. So yeah, I will do it, I will do it all.
Speaker 1:So here's my question Before we go further, I just want to make sure, rick, you cool, because I know you had to step away for a second. So I just want to make sure, because we usually hear a little laughter in the background, in case anyone's wondering OK, good, here's. Here's my question. Is it remembering or reminding you of being a kid? Yes, part of it.
Speaker 1:So that part of joy, because one of the topics I wanted to talk about and I want to talk about it in terms of our personal lives, but also work, because that's where I feel it the most is um, when do you feel most like you're getting older? And in my case, I know I'm aging and I'm gonna give you an example of what happened this week, because when you guys talk about Disney, it's kind of like when I hear, especially when I see the black women with the beautiful they're wearing their beautiful outfits on a Sunday, and there's something about that that makes me jealous. So when you guys talk about Disney and I'm not equating Disney and the church- no, not at all.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 3:It could be a church to some people, clearly.
Speaker 1:But you see what I'm saying, right, there's something that's so beautiful about believing in something so much that it brings you so much joy that it exudes out of you. When you guys talk about it like that, it's a little on the cray-cray side. I'm just going to say but it's that same thing.
Speaker 4:No, we're mild compared to some people.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, no, no, no, we are mild.
Speaker 1:I'm just saying for me, and with Billy too, to me you're on the, I say cray, cray with love, like for me it's a little bit. I'm like I would not be going driving to Disney. I'd be at the beach but I wouldn't go to Disney. But I get it. But here's my thing. So this this past week I was walking by, I was just walking from here to 18th street, so I live on well you guys know where I live.
Speaker 4:I was going to 18th Street. I was about to give up my address. No, ma'am, no ma'am.
Speaker 1:You know where I am right. So Beach 18th Street, there's 18 streets of blocks there, whatever. So I was just walking there to go to Whole Foods get a little exercise in Not driving to Disney, but getting my exercise in, if you get what I'm saying. There were these Latino men and you know I walked by and I'm not saying I look cute or anything, but I looked like my normal self, regular, whatever. And I walked by and the guy, one of the guys came. He was bringing like some piece of equipment over and he's like, oh, senora, por favor. And I was like, oh, thank you. And I kept walking. I realized like back in the day now I am not for sexual harassment or anything like that.
Speaker 1:That's not what I'm saying but back in the day they would have said something like oh señorita, but they were like oh old lady, excuse me, at least they didn't say nothing, but they were like oh old lady, excuse us, at least they didn't call you Doña.
Speaker 3:They didn't call you Doña.
Speaker 1:I was like I feel so old right now.
Speaker 4:He didn't say I'm mommy, come get it. He didn't say that right.
Speaker 1:You know, look, it's not about them being disrespectful at all, because even back then and I'm not saying these men, I'm just saying it reminded me that there was a time when men would say something a little bit more like hey, yeah yeah, you know what I mean, and this was definitely like oh excuse us, old lady, let us get out of your way, so you don't excuse us ma'am, let us get out of your way so you don't trip you don't sue us or something Right.
Speaker 1:It started making me just remember like the first time someone called me ma'am. We had that conversation before, but I was curious as to do you guys have moments where you feel really kind of older? You have an experience or something. I think I sent that to you guys just to think about.
Speaker 4:Well, for me. For me it's when I'm talking to my nieces and nephews and they start using language and I'm like, run that by me again. Like when they say, oh, does this person have RIS? I was like run that by me again. Like when they said, oh, does this person have riz? I was like what is riz? They were like you know riz? I was like you mean charisma? They were like yeah, yeah, charisma. I'm like oh, yeah, but you know, does it have riz? It used to be swag. I knew what swag was Well swag was more our time, though.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I knew what swag was.
Speaker 4:Swag was more our time though, yeah, but now you come up with the rich.
Speaker 1:There's that word too, because I had the same thing when they said sus.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, I knew what sus was, I didn't know, I was like what the hell is sus?
Speaker 1:I'm like Google, yeah yeah. Googling.
Speaker 4:Yeah, no, thankfully we have a young person in the house.
Speaker 2:I can go, marissa when I go talk to the fifth graders at my school. What does this mean?
Speaker 4:Yeah, because they're coming with the lingo.
Speaker 2:Tell me what the lingo is, and they'll be like Ms Dawson, you don't know what this means. Yeah, you don't have TikTok. I'm like, nope, I don't, ma'am.
Speaker 4:She doesn't have TikTok.
Speaker 1:I do not so they're like oh, that is so, that's, that's a good one, rick. What about you? When was the time? I mean, if you have anything to share on that part, I don't know.
Speaker 5:I mean just the older I get. It's like you discover more and more your body's, like you can't do this anymore. Like you know you get much more tired quicker.
Speaker 5:I'm like yo, what the heck? I used to be able to do this so easily. And it's like what is happening seems like you're hurt a little bit more easier too, and that's for sure. I got this weird thing where I some kind of joint is messed up in my hand and I can't make a grip without it hurting. I'm like what is happening to my body? What's happening?
Speaker 5:so yeah, yeah, I mean I already had issues anyway with scoliosis. Now it's like, okay, this is ridiculous now, but yeah, yeah, it's just the body shows you. Yeah, you ain't young, no more you know what I'm tired of?
Speaker 1:the, of the, of the belly thing, because I don't I know. Look at, this is how I feel about it. I feel a few things need to change in the trajectory of humans, right, like, if you decide not to have children, you should automatically have a flat stomach. I'm sorry I didn't have children. I should not have to suffer. But why do I have a belly? I don't understand. Like, I have a belly now. I've never had a belly. It's called a fupa. Okay, you better stop. You better stop. No, you're not there yet, but we're getting there.
Speaker 4:Damn, it's a fupa. That's what it means.
Speaker 1:Let's stop talking about let's stop saying those words.
Speaker 3:She doesn't even know what that is. That's what I feel. Bad People go. What's in your leg? What's in your leg?
Speaker 1:What's in your leg. The whole evolution of life should be if you decide not to have children, you should still have a nice flat stomach.
Speaker 2:You should still be snatched.
Speaker 1:I should be snatched. Yes, I want to be more snatched, yes, so I'm mad about that. So the body thing is for real, for real, and I hate to tell you this, rick, but you know I had that whole thing with my hand you should use there's like a cream, that's an aspirin, it's aspirin.
Speaker 3:Aspirin.
Speaker 1:No, that's not the one I use. It's the one that's in the B, Valtorin. What is it? Valtorin? Put that on your hand. That's what it is.
Speaker 4:I'm sorry, I didn't look at she's like why are you messing with me, what you doing? Well, you said it has aspirin in his cream, so I was like oh, aspirin, what is it?
Speaker 1:Voltaren yeah, that one you should put. That, that'll really help.
Speaker 5:And I have like six splints, if all the way, I'm like what is that? And I like I go like this and it clicks. I never used to do that.
Speaker 1:I'm like clicking right yeah, but you should put something on it like I'm telling I'm never gonna mess around when I hurt myself again, because I think that's. I think we heal hard. I mean it takes us longer to heal, you know um you might have one of the itises bursitis, arthritis, appendicitis, something.
Speaker 4:The itis, you have the itis. I want the itis and the itis. You got the itis. That was funny okay.
Speaker 3:I call it.
Speaker 2:I call it the snap crackle and pop. You call him that. No, my knees are snap crackle and pop. You call him that, no, my knees are snap crackle and pop.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah is that a new thing from when you've gotten older? Is it yeah, no, no, I don't know I don't know if you've always had any issues. I have friends who are?
Speaker 4:no, they don't know. So you have to.
Speaker 2:You have to oh no, I'm no. It's happened in the last year and in the last year I've been yeah, so it's a new occurrence. A new occurrence. I was like Doc, can you x-ray this? And they're like everything looks fine, we don't see anything. And I'm like okay.
Speaker 4:I said. I hear her getting out of bed in the morning. I'm like are you eating Pop Rocks over there? What's going on? I hear her getting out of bed in the morning. I'm like are you eating Pop Rocks over there? What's going on.
Speaker 1:And she Well, it must be something. I mean, it's not like a bone broken.
Speaker 2:Yeah, exactly that's what they were checking for, and they're saying it might just be the beginnings of arthritis.
Speaker 4:Anitis.
Speaker 2:Anitis Sometimes.
Speaker 1:It's probably like is it rheumatoid Cause? Is it rheumatoid is joints?
Speaker 4:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:No, it sucks. That's how you know we're getting older, Cause I know what that is, Cause I of my hands. So we had to go home. So the joints is the rheumatoid thing, or whatever.
Speaker 5:Okay, synthetic is the youngest what? I think I saw that on the AARP. I'm just kidding.
Speaker 2:But we do that. We are not friends right now, mr Rick. We are not friends.
Speaker 1:No, no, no no A, I think we're old now because the young folk told us to do it and they do it to get all the deals, so that's why. I did it. I didn't do it because I'm old. I did it because the young folk told me on TikTok, you're not watching.
Speaker 2:I'm not eligible yet, so I don't know what y'all talking about Wait.
Speaker 4:I went ahead and applied, but then she's a lot younger than me but she started getting emails from AARP. Then she started getting the text messages from AARP. She kept saying why am I getting text messages from AARP? Why am I getting emails? This is junk mail. Why are you sending me junk mail?
Speaker 2:Yeah, because I got the magazine in my name in my mailbox and I said I know that I am not a boss for any of this. He's sitting over there laughing. He's like babe, I registered you.
Speaker 4:She's my spouse so she automatically gets. Gets it if there's anybody else in your house or you think needs it. That was too through.
Speaker 1:That was too through here's the myth about AARP that people, I did not know this. I learned this on TikTok. There are a few things I've learned, and this is what I learned is they actually do not have an age requirement, because that would be ageism. They cannot have you. That's why all these young kids on Tik TOK have had ARP since they were like 11, because they paid for all the deals. So there's a young guy who became Tik TOK famous because he started telling people to get ARP, cause that's the way you could save for travel, blah, blah. And I was like who is this kid? Remember, I sent you guys the link and it was so good. I was like, well, I'm signing up and I do save on some stuff and they do have some good articles and we like ARP because if they want to sponsor us, you know hey.
Speaker 4:And we get discounts at Denny's.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you get discounts everywhere. It's actually pretty good. So it's either that or my AAA card, but both of those cards I use a lot. Yeah, but I hear you. Okay, cynthia, who does not have ARP yet, but I'm going to add you family.
Speaker 4:Your membership is in the mail.
Speaker 3:With me when I started having more doctor's appointments, like I would go to one, and they were like, okay, we'll see you in a couple of weeks. Like wait why? And they're like, oh, we just want to make sure you know your blood pressure's fine or your asthma's okay. Now I feel like I'm going to an appointment every three months. It's always for something. It's either my asthma or it's something.
Speaker 4:Your neck, your back.
Speaker 1:Yep and everything hurts yeah yeah, I think that is probably the. I don't think people understand, like when you're younger. I know why we don't listen to it, but I feel like there's not enough conversation about how the body it's not that it breaks down, because, I have to tell you, I think there are also some good parts about it too. I think there's more control over things in my life that I would have wanted when I was a teenager. You know what I mean, and there are blessings to getting older, and I don't even want to talk about the wisdom part, but I wouldn't want to get rid of the intellectual part of everything I've learned and experienced and just have a snatched waist, although I could have that.
Speaker 1:You know what?
Speaker 4:I think the females here will all say we'll take a snatched waist, although I could have that.
Speaker 3:You know what. You know what I think the females here will all say we'll take the snatched waist.
Speaker 1:I feel like I don't know, I don't know, I don't know. It could be a conversation starter with the good Lord. You know what I mean. But there is a strange thing that happens as you get older that you're just surprised by, you know. It's the wrinkles. It's, for me, the sagging of my seriously perfect boobs that are just stunning. You know, I think every girl has a thing they like about themselves. You know what I mean and I was born with some blessings. It just shook to me that gravity is doing its thing, is what I'm saying. You know what I mean, and I really am thinking about, at some point, maybe having surgery because it's going to start affecting my back. I really don't understand why these people go and get the size boobs I have, like they get them. I don't know why you would do that. I mean you know what I'm saying't know why you would do that. I mean you know what I'm saying, right, like it's heavy, it's heavy. Yeah, anyways, we can move on.
Speaker 2:So you're going to get a mommy makeover, but you're not a mommy.
Speaker 4:What's about the?
Speaker 2:mommy, yeah, what's the mommy makeover? Tell her the mommy makeover, but you're not a mommy. What's about the mommy? Yeah, the mommy makeover does all of that, the, the, the boobs, tummy tuck, so you have the flat tummy and the.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I say it, but I would never. I swear, please, lord, I beg of you, I never want to have surgery again After having hip surgery because I had to have it. I, I never want to have surgery again after having hip surgery because I had to have it. I will never want to go on to the. I do not take that lightly. I'm kidding about it, but I don't think I'll ever do it. I'm okay, rolling them up and throwing them you know, you're okay with knocking a few people out you're not
Speaker 5:choking yourself at night when you lay on your back.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think I never. I know too many people who go through too much surgery because they have to, that I don't mess with that and I'm not making a judgment on other people who want to do that, but I'm kind of kidding. I mean, if you saw me when I had my hip surgery, you would have thought I was near death the way I was like, oh my god. So I don't think I could do cosmetic, but I reserve the right to change my mind, like my hair Although I'm starting to now like my hair because the gray is actually coming in fully.
Speaker 4:Yeah, see, patience Told you.
Speaker 1:I was hating it because you know it was doing that, but now I can see. I see what he did. That's art. That is some art, but anyway.
Speaker 4:Yes A skill.
Speaker 1:Let's switch it up. I already know, besides the Disney stuff, what is some stuff that makes you feel really young? Besides the Disney group over here, let's start with Rick, unless you need some time to think about it.
Speaker 5:I mean I'm kind of that. I don't want to grow up. I'm a Toys R Us kid thing. I mean, look at my background Spider-Man, wolverine, all this stuff and I've always felt it's weird. I've always felt both young and old at the same time.
Speaker 1:Oh, you mean always.
Speaker 5:Yeah, like I'm very comfortable. I was always very comfortable being with little kids way younger than me, but I was also super comfortable being with way older people than me, like loved it because I could learn stuff from them and it was like people my age. I didn't want to hang around. It was like I wanted the extremes, the other opposites. But yeah, I've always felt young, even though I just turned 55, my brain says you ain't 55. Shut up. Yeah, that's weird. Yeah, I love that.
Speaker 1:So for you it's kind of always been kind of the same.
Speaker 5:Yeah, if I Lord willing live to 99, I'm still going to be like I ain't 99. So for you it's kind of always been kind of the same. Yeah, like when I, if I lord willing to live to 99, I'm still gonna be like I ain't 99.
Speaker 1:Yeah wow, I wish I, I wish it was like that for me. Yeah, no, I don't feel like that at all. I wish it was, I wish I always felt that way. But I think for me, I feel like such an adult. I feel like I've always been an adult, even when I was 12. Like even when I was 13, like I had to be responsible. I think that's why it's hard for me to be spontaneous or to be you know what I mean Like I am very and Cynthia knows I think it's also because of you know the stuff you had to go through.
Speaker 5:Yeah, true, after your mom died.
Speaker 3:you did have to kind of grow up, the same way you had to grow up fast.
Speaker 1:No.
Speaker 2:I'm just kidding. I understand what you're saying, carmen, I'm just jealous.
Speaker 2:For me, I think it's the because I had so much responsibility at a young age with being the one who was always translating for my parents and having to do all of those things because my parents at that time did not speak. You know the language and here I was, you know, five, six years old, translating for them, doing all of these things you know. And then you know having to go to work when I was 11 and things like that, just those things do make you grow up and I think that because of that, now that I'm older and I'm able to do these things, I do it wholeheartedly. So all of the things that I wasn't able to be like, those little things, because I know that my parents, they took us to Disneyland one time with a lot of, you know, sacrifice. They took us and that's like one of my best memories and I have pictures of that time when my parents were able to take us.
Speaker 2:So then, once I became an adult, and that was like I'm going to go all the time, you know, like that's one of my things. I love to color, I love bubbles, he'll tell you, I love blowing bubbles, I love. So, when this whole wave of adult coloring books. Trust me, I was like, yes, yeah, I don't know what you're missing. I don't even know what you're talking about, but I trust you.
Speaker 1:But I think you and Cynthia are like sisters from another area.
Speaker 2:I'm like I'm here in everything, cynthia and like I craft, so like I love doing stuff, you know crafting, doing things. So, like the other day, when you know you were talking about, um, scrapbooking, I totally want to learn how to do that. So I'm like, okay, I, and you know it's like, so it's like stuff like that. So I've always find things that help me creatively because I'm, I've always been a creative person. So, you know, those are the types of things that I do.
Speaker 2:But going to Disneyland just really is like I'm a big kid, I love going, I love having fun, I love getting on the rides, I love running to the characters and, you know, doing all of those things, all of those things. The new years come out, ooh, the new popcorn, but I want the popcorn bucket. Yes, let's go. I, you know it's like, yeah, all of those things. But I think it's just because as a child, there was so much um, there was responsibility I was also very ill as a child. There's just a lot of, you know, just a lot of things that contributed to me having to be responsible and not really being able to have a normal, a normal childhood. I'll say it like that.
Speaker 1:My parents, you've kind of like I'm learning something about myself as we're having this conversation, like I've never done that, I've never gone back to reclaim it, and I feel like you've reclaimed your childhood. And my God, not only am I jealous, but I'm so happy for you. Like the, that is just beautiful. I love that.
Speaker 2:I need to.
Speaker 1:it's great yeah.
Speaker 2:And then you know, and then I get to do it with with my hubby, and he, you know, he likes, so we like doing it in different aspects. He loves going for the rides, he loves roller coasters. That was the one thing that really we really bonded over, because I love roller coasters too, so we would go find the biggest roller coaster to get on, and you know that type of stuff, and you know so. And then, uh, you know so. Then, and then that segue to like, well, I love going to Disneyland. So we got to go to Disneyland. So then it was like, okay, so it started with us going what? Maybe once or twice a year. And then we were like, oh, we're just going to get passes. So then we've had passes for forever, forever. We only stopped when our daughter went to college because I was like, okay, we don't have any disposable money right now.
Speaker 1:Oh, because she had to go to college. Oh, I got it yeah.
Speaker 4:And we have a bucket list of going to all of them around the world. We've done three so far We've done LA, we've done Florida, we've done Paris, we're trying to get to Japan next and Shanghai. Yeah, so we'll see, come on.
Speaker 1:I mean, it's not my bucket list, but it's a cool bucket list.
Speaker 4:That's cool. Justify going for another country, that's all.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but how about you?
Speaker 4:What about me?
Speaker 3:Yeah.
Speaker 4:In terms of what Just finding, you know, claiming my childhood, like yeah, I'm like she kind of covered like Disneyney, but like I love amusement parks, period. Um, I love babies, I love little kids and and I love games and I love I I'm not a gamer like I used to be, like I used to be on on x, on xbox, the, the other one, nintendo, stuff like that. Yeah, like I would, we would like, we would like anything that's going to be. And again, because I was sick for so long I was confined to a chair so that I would have to find stuff to do in a chair Like other than TV, you know, because you can only watch TV for so long, so you have to find other things to do. So I would always try to find fun things to do. So I would always try to find fun things to do. I hate puzzles, but you know she does I would sit there oh yeah, I love puzzles that's the other thing.
Speaker 4:So they're like perfectly matched. It's hilarious not always that's another day but c Cynthia what about you?
Speaker 3:I think Alma pretty much covered it for me too, I mean.
Speaker 1:I know we don't need you both on the show at the same time. Is what I'm saying? Same person? No, no, but go ahead, go ahead.
Speaker 3:You know I've always been like crafty, I've always liked drawing and coloring as a kid and stuff like that. And you know Disney was my first and last vacation with my mom. So now it's like you know I love Disney so I try to go at least once a year, or at least every other year I try to go.
Speaker 1:It's quite an expensive thing. It is Especially if you have to fly because you don't have Disney in Massachusetts, so you have to fly to Disney in Florida or here.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and of course, now that I took my grandson, he wants to go out all the time now. So he's now become a Disney fanatic and I do the scrapbooking, which I love, and I do the card making and stuff like that.
Speaker 2:But yeah, I mean all the cards that you're supposed to start selling on etsy I'm telling you, alma, okay, I'm just saying we can cut alma in on this.
Speaker 1:Okay, I'm okay doing a third, I'm doing I'm okay with this. I even tried to help her set up a website. Remember, we tried to set up the website. She flaked on that. After what, I'm just we're gonna say straight up when I tell you she makes beautiful cards, I'm not talking about like, oh, yeah, that's cute. You know how you walk into whole foods or you walk into like any hallmark little store, yeah, and you turn it around they're like, oh, that's a really good card, and it's like 14. You're like, well, her card, yeah, you're a papyrus type of girl.
Speaker 4:Papyrus, is that what it's called papyrus, those cards yeah, hers are better than.
Speaker 1:I've been saying this for years because I'm like looking, let's do. I'm trying to do like business, what you doing.
Speaker 4:And they put all about the joy stamp on the back.
Speaker 3:It's so funny, though, too, cause I have so many that I've made and I'm like I don't want to give them away, like I know you should do like they should go on, maybe all about the joy and just you know, have packs of five and it's just whatever you get.
Speaker 2:You get packs of five and you just you know, and then until you're empty, and then you stock back up again.
Speaker 1:You know, look at you guys can wear. I tried, I don't, I, I, but I just I don't know what else to do, because I mean, I do that.
Speaker 2:I buy those. When the kids do the fundraisers, they sell the boxes of cards that you just get like a slew of cards for like ten dollars and it's like all kinds of cards in there.
Speaker 4:So well, we won't be selling us because yours will be more.
Speaker 2:No, no, exactly what I'm saying is people are willing to pay for cards to just have them, because you always need a card. You always need a sympathy card or a happy birthday card or a get well or congratulations, and it's good to just have them. So that's what I'm saying. If they're all just one of a kind and you just do packs of like five or whatever and just you know, sell them you know what I'm pissed about?
Speaker 1:right now I am watching Cynthia really taking in what you're saying. Which bitch I, if I had a recorder and shit. I said five years ago, but she like this, like, because we're here, I understand what she's saying. Okay, I'm just saying I'm getting my cut, I don't care.
Speaker 3:I don't need a cut. I don't need a cut, I'm a story shit.
Speaker 1:I mean, I could be a pilot partner. I don't need my name on that shit, but I'm getting my cut.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you do cards. What else do you do? I want to know.
Speaker 1:No, I'll tell you what she does. She does Thanksgiving cards, birthday cards, she does Christmas cards, any card, and she sends them just to fucking family who doesn't appreciate them. But she'll send you a beautiful birthday card. I was going to send her a card once.
Speaker 2:I never sent it, and then you remembered the type of cards that she makes.
Speaker 4:No, nevermind.
Speaker 1:I never sent it. I went and bought her a card and I was so proud of myself Cause I'm like you know I'm gonna send her this card, cause just to show her appreciation. I would never try to make a card for her. That's like me cooking for somebody who can cook I'm not that crazy, but I was like cooking for somebody who can cook, I'm not that crazy. But I was like Cynthia, I'm going to send you a card and like, I think it was like for Christmas and then, like, a year went by.
Speaker 3:Show me the card. I showed her the card.
Speaker 2:But you never actually received the card.
Speaker 3:I never mailed it, oh gosh.
Speaker 1:I know it was cards for all reasons and she could do them for anything, but I think it's also for you, cynthia, I don't know, but a part of me stopped bothering you about it, because I feel like it's also something you have a lot of joy in, and when you're hearing all the business part of it, I think that made you not love it, and so I realized I was dampening your spirit.
Speaker 2:Love it, and so I realized I was dampening your spirit. I feel like if you do it, it just leaves. It makes more room for you to be able to get more material, better material and make even better cards, and then, as they go out, then there's room for you to make more. You know, and you're sharing the joy of them, because if they're as nice as you're saying they are, then you should share them. The world should see them, because I save my cards, every single card that I get.
Speaker 2:I save my cards and I think my mom started that for me because she would save like one. Like she'd have me pick which birthday card I loved the most of all the cards I would get, and so she would put it in my album for that year. So if it was, you know, she did it for the first few years, but like five, I picked the card, she put it in the album and then she would put the pictures. So then it just that's what got me started. And now that I'm older I have every Mother's Day card, every birthday card, every. That's so cute, that's pretty. So that's what I'm saying. So you know there's people like me out there who appreciate the cards and save the cards. I'm not pressuring you.
Speaker 1:You see how I backed off. I still want my profit. I let her do the business, but she's pressuring you. I'm just saying that's what I think happened. Was it started, I think if we had a lot of money again right, it's always this thing and you didn't have to work 40 hours a week and you could create and then we could go get them duplicated. I see that. I see that you know. But you know work with Alma, you know you guys have each other's number right. Just have each other's number.
Speaker 2:Okay, so what else do you make other than cards?
Speaker 3:I do shadow boxes, so I, um, I do shadow boxes, so I made shadow boxes actually for a few people.
Speaker 1:the first one, I did was a real big one for my grandson. Can you explain to people what a shadow box is, in case they don't know? No, no for the audio. Oh sorry, I'm just saying so.
Speaker 3:It's basically like a 12 by 12 frame and I'll pick like the favorite picture and like, say, for instance, if you went to a play and you have like the, the playbill and photo there, I'll put the playbill with the picture and like whatever little accessories would go with that play and just kind of put it all together in the shadow box so dope yeah and so actually a really good friend of mine. Um, her brother had a baby and the baby was premature and he was literally like the palm of your hand, the size, and he's so tiny.
Speaker 3:And now he's like three years old, he's perfectly fine, healthy, everything, um. But she gave me his little onesie and the little blood pressure cup and photo, so I put it in a whole shadow box for her, so she has that to remember oh, that's awesome do we know where that name?
Speaker 5:I'm sorry do we know where that name came from? Shadow box, like where's that come from shadows of the past?
Speaker 2:maybe I don't know maybe because it looks kind of 3d right when it's in it. Yeah, it looks like a 3d so is it
Speaker 5:like a frame it's like thick like a box, but you can see through it like, yeah, it's dimensional, yeah.
Speaker 3:I actually made one for Juan. When his dad passed away. I put glasses that he used to wear. A photo of them put together.
Speaker 4:That's beautiful, cynthia. You're so artsy-fartsy, I love it.
Speaker 1:I'm going to tell you where the name Shadowbox comes from. It comes from the way light and shadows interact within the frame. Because the box has depth, items inside can cast shadows on the background of each other, creating a layered three dimensional effect. So that's why it was so. That's why they call it that. It's a unique piece of art. So it's a beautiful way to showcase and preserve memories, making each shadow box a unique piece of art. It's a beautiful way to showcase and preserve memories, making each shadow box a unique piece of art. I love my AI.
Speaker 5:I just had an idea.
Speaker 4:What.
Speaker 5:You like dealing with dead people? You can go to your homes and say I do shadow boxes. Just tell them to send me some stuff and I'll make a show. You make so much money, Ooh.
Speaker 3:Rick Okay.
Speaker 2:That's another.
Speaker 3:I feel like we don't have company here.
Speaker 1:Yes, okay, I'll take a four. I'm fine with a four.
Speaker 2:I'm good that actually would be a great, great side business Truly.
Speaker 5:Who doesn't want memories of their dead loved ones? Everybody would right. Most actually hate them.
Speaker 1:Although there's a little ambulance chasing there. But yeah. But you wouldn't go to the funeral of somebody, you told.
Speaker 4:I'm sorry for your loss. Here's my card.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you can go to the Peter and Homely business card and leave your stuff there and leave a have them hang one up so they can see what the possibilities are.
Speaker 1:And then they can get a cut, and then all of us get a cut. Poor Cynthia ends up with like $2 for material.
Speaker 4:She's like I'm doing all of them.
Speaker 1:And make sure on the shadow box of the dead ones. All about the joy.
Speaker 4:On the back On the back. With love, Cynthia See.
Speaker 1:You see, her slid into hell.
Speaker 4:Right there she's sliding and she's gliding, and she's oiled up.
Speaker 2:She's oiled up.
Speaker 4:She's oiled up.
Speaker 3:And flattened.
Speaker 4:Big old slippy slide.
Speaker 3:If AARP is listening, you know, sponsor us help us out.
Speaker 1:You know, if I do like AARP, I am going to submit something to them because I think they're a great organization. I've learned so much about them since that whole TikTok thing.
Speaker 4:You can say welcome to All About the Joy sponsored by AARP.
Speaker 1:I would totally say that, and you know what the thing is. They gear towards Gen X and so they gear towards any age. But you know, whenever I read articles on there, we know the articles rick loves.
Speaker 1:We have to say that wow no, you would like to be informed about a lot of things, and it was just that one time. It was funny. I'm sorry, but I just feel like, like I love the articles that they write or that they have. They have people come in and write and it's always someone different. So clearly they're paying people. They have a podcast that I don't think it's monthly or something, and it's really about boring stuff. I mean, that's important for people to know, but there's not a lot of joy in it, you know. So I actually, and today I there was an article about how to get rid of your fat belly and the guy gave 10. So I read that article and there was 10 minutes. Isn't the FUPA something different? A little bit on the lower side.
Speaker 4:But it's still a part of the belly.
Speaker 1:It's the belly of Jacob I don't suspect, everyone in this room has fupa.
Speaker 4:I don't have fupa, sorry.
Speaker 1:I don't want us to say what it means, because I think I know what it means.
Speaker 4:They can look it up. Look, as Sherri Shepherd would say go ask your mama.
Speaker 1:You can't ask my mama, we don't know. Okay, rick, I don't think Rick has a fupa either, but men have a. I don't know how to switch the P, because I'm not sure if it's the P you change. Men have bigger bellies than women. That's all I'm saying. It's hard too, men, got them hard bellies. Women, that's all I'm saying. It's hard too, men, got them hard bellies.
Speaker 5:I'm just saying A lot of people say today they like the dad bods. Dad bods are in.
Speaker 1:For men it's dad bods, For women it's fupa. You see, you see what's happening right there.
Speaker 4:Oh dad bods I don't have a problem with a fupa. Not at all, not at all.
Speaker 1:You know what? I'm going to come on this show tomorrow night in a fucking bikini, because I'm over the fupa.
Speaker 4:Come on, come in here and snatch. Come in here and snatch. Tomorrow Go ahead. She said come in here with a two-piece and a biscuit, come on.
Speaker 1:I just don't have my abs anymore. I'm very upset about it. I'm very sad. It bums me out and I don't like the idea of when you sit you can feel a roll. It just drives, I don't know. I'm working on it. I'm working on it. I got to work on it. It's just me. I'm just on it. I gotta work on it. It's just me. I'm just like I didn't have no children. It's not fair, you know. But whatever, Dad bods are cool, but you know what's the equivalent for women's bods? Rick.
Speaker 4:They're all beautiful for me. Clean it up, rick. Come on, help me out. Clean it up. All women's bodies are beautiful, all of them.
Speaker 3:Honestly, can I just be honest A lot of men have they don't even have issues with women who have poopas or are bigger women. They really don't. No, if a woman is confident in her body, that's all they care. They don't give a crap about any of that, Not at all.
Speaker 4:They look like a little extra cushion.
Speaker 1:Did I say anything? No, she didn't oh my god, wait, wait, oh, my god, okay. Ai will not use swear words, so it's really funny. I'm sorry to explain this. Okay, I'm not okay I'm not gonna. It's FUPA stands for fat upper pubic area it refers to-.
Speaker 4:No.
Speaker 1:Accumulate Ah, no, wait.
Speaker 4:No, that is what it says. No Lies, that's what it's saying Lies. That is not what that is.
Speaker 1:Is it also for men? I just want to-. No, yes, the term F, yes, the term fupa applies to both men and women. It refers to the fat accumulation in the area above the pubic bone. Regardless of gender, men can also experience fat deposits in the region due to factors like weight gain, aging, genetics or other changes in the men got a fupa man.
Speaker 1:Well, listen, if they like it, I love it. Whatever it is, I'm just messing with you, cynthia. I agree that it's not, but you know, I didn't say nothing about me. It's how I feel about myself, right? And and I think that's what bothers me about, as I get older, I've become less fit for circumstances that make sense. You know what I mean Aging but also I had a hip surgery that was traumatic in a different sense for me. You know what I mean and I've worked through that. But what's hard is thinking and I know this is the wrong part for me thinking I'm ever going to get back to that kind of athleticism that I was in the past. So you know, today I went for a walk and, and, and, mario, you do 18,000 steps. That's a lot.
Speaker 1:That's so much, you know. Um, I did like 12,000 steps today, Um, and I mean I was glad I did it, but I was sad because I could run that so much quicker in the past. You know what I mean. I was glad I did it, but I was sad because I could run that so much quicker in the past. You know what I mean. Yeah, I have to take it slow because I'm not there yet. So I hear you, you know.
Speaker 4:So yeah, but see, I hate running. So it's just for me, as long as I get the steps in, I don't care how I get them, just get them in. But, like you said, take breaks. When you go to disney you don't even think about how many steps you're doing at all, you're just going and going and going like we've done half marathons, just walking I believe that I saw a guy
Speaker 5:yesterday that he was actually famous because he does all these acrobatic, almost like flipping his whole body, but he's overweight and he jokes. He's like I'm the fat guy that does tricks, whatever, but he goes. I want. And he jokes he's like I'm the fat guy that does tricks whatever, but he goes. I want to lose weight. So he got up with this guy and you know, meal plan, this is what you're going to eat, and blah, blah, blah. He's going to exercise and he did okay, but then it kind of hit a plateau and he's like what else can I do? He goes, I'm up to 10. Then he lost the rest of the weight.
Speaker 1:It was interesting Walking is the best thing that you can do. It really is, Mari. The only reason why I started running was because I couldn't dance anymore. When I was in college, I had a friend named Laura French. I'll never forget her. I forget what class we were in or whatever, but she would get up and go running.
Speaker 4:I'd be like all right, bye.
Speaker 1:And she was like why don't you come with me? And? And I was like I can't run and I really could not. It was horrible. But once I started I did that first mile, second mile, you know what I mean. Like then you started.
Speaker 1:It's not the same as dancing, I will never admit to that. But there is something that happens when you are running and I'm not going to call it a zone, but you do get into that place where it's rhythmic, right, and that's what I loved about dancing. There was something rhythmic about it and you're not even thinking that you're working out. It's probably what happens when you guys are at Disney you don't even think you're walking that much because you're just in that zone. And for me, it was the easiest way that I found to replace that part of the feeling of dancing when I was working out and sweating all the time, and then I was doing, you know, five and 10 Ks. I ran three marathons. I really got into it. I hung out and dated triathletes, and not a lot of them. One of them I hung out with a lot of them. Yeah, one, I dated one. And do I know who? I dated who? I don't remember.
Speaker 4:You probably. I mean we've known each other for 20 plus years.
Speaker 1:Five years, yeah. So yeah, you did Actually, you did know when I was dating him. Actually you did, but anyway. So I mean, I think that's what it is it's like for me. I'm angry because I'm not my, I'm not doing the dancing. So then I found the running. That was great, and now I'm I'm struggling to do the walking, just trying to get back in there. So that's my own.
Speaker 4:Okay, here's a good pivot for you. What is it that you do not work related that brings you the ultimate joy outside of work? What takes you there? What brings you there? What takes you to ultimate happiness? What takes you there?
Speaker 1:This is going to sound like the lamest thing ever, but I love going down to the beach. I'm going to cry about it. Um, I have always wanted to live here, where I live on the beach and um, and I have my bench. Um, and Cynthia knows that I go and I do this five mile. I now do a walk, but I used to do the run. It gives me the most joy is when I go back and sit at that bench when I'm done and I just look out at the ocean and I just so blessed Cause, when I first got here by myself and I didn't know anybody, I had $800 in my pocket and a round trip ticket home.
Speaker 1:That's all I had. I didn't know nobody, whatever.
Speaker 1:That's where that's the first place I landed, because I had to find a place to stay for the night and the YMCA was right there and that was the only contact I had. You know what I mean. It was on I think YMCA is on 6th Street or something or it was and I mean ultimate joy. I can't tell you how many times I finished that and then sit there and cry I don't mean cry like, but I can tear because it gives me such joy. And then the other thing I'll say this is going to the movies midday, like at 10 or 11, and watching something like whether it was Avengers Endgame was probably one of the and then Wicked recently, or any movie. But when you have something that you're so in it.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh my God, I love that.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I could do that every day.
Speaker 4:You're a movie, since you're a movie girl. We like movies. No, we like movies.
Speaker 2:We do that too.
Speaker 4:AMC has this funky thing called Screen Unseen. It's on Mondays, it's all AMCs. All you have to do is look it up. The trick is, you don't know what you're going to watch until you sit down.
Speaker 2:Ooh, and it's only $5. Yeah.
Speaker 4:Well, now it's $7. But still you go in on a Monday night and it just starts and all of a sudden you're in this world. So sometimes they're really, really great, like we got to see Sing Sing with Coleman Domingo.
Speaker 2:And we didn't know. They just give you what the rating is. They just give you the rating, so you know what the rating is going to be. So you don't know the genre.
Speaker 1:You don't know the genre.
Speaker 4:No.
Speaker 2:The only time to differentiate. If it's going to be a scary movie, then it's Scream on Scene. I don't do scary movies.
Speaker 1:That's why I wouldn't do it. But they do tell you they differentiate.
Speaker 2:They'll tell you. If it's a horror film, they'll tell you so then you don't do it that Monday. But then all the other times it's a movie, they just tell you what the rating is. You just don't know which one it's going to be.
Speaker 1:I do that. You know, what's so weird is because I love going midday and back in the day you could go to know matinee and it was like six bucks. You know, I would always schedule my work life around being able to go to the amc and century. I know when I came, when I first moved here, because I had all my little part-time jobs and when you're working as an actor, you know.
Speaker 1:When you're working as an actor you're taking any work you can get right. So this was before brand new school and I would, I would schedule, and now it's the same amount.
Speaker 4:If you go, it's like 21 or something but this, the screen unseen, is just like going to a madman and I have amc stubs or whatever yes that all you have. All you have to do is look up the theater, because, like, I think, the one over here by my, it's not every single one, but it's you in the marina when in the marina maybe that's okayina. Maybe that's where it is Okay, but look it up.
Speaker 1:I'm going to look it up.
Speaker 4:Yeah, they actually have an Instagram page, so you can look it up and I'll tell you when they're coming up. Thank you for telling me.
Speaker 1:My favorite theater made it through in the Palisades called the Bay Theater. Have you ever, guys, gone to that theater? But I don't know to what extent it's going to be okay if everything's around it. It's horrible. But I love the small theaters, right, the small old school theaters in LA are just something. I'm glad they're preserving them. No-transcript them, because people are all the lounge and blah, blah, blah stuff and I get it. But the smaller theater is beautiful.
Speaker 4:Yeah, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, my God, okay, thank you. You know we have hit the one hour mark and we don't have to stop talking, but I know we have to work tomorrow, so we do want to put like a hard kind of a line in the sand here, but I just want to ask you guys before you go we'll start with Cynthia what are you looking forward to this weekend? Anything, fantastic, anything.
Speaker 3:Oh, my son turns 30 on Saturday oh my God.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 4:Dirty 30.
Speaker 1:He is not turning 30.
Speaker 4:Wow.
Speaker 1:That's weird, because you're what?
Speaker 3:40? 45. I'll be 46 in two months.
Speaker 1:Wow, I know that's not right because I'm 37. That don't make no sense. So there's some math problems there.
Speaker 2:We're the same age.
Speaker 1:That's what I'm saying. I was problems there. We're the same age. That's what I'm saying. We're the same age. We're so cute. Yeah, okay, Whatever. Superman, Rick, what about you? Anything happening? I mean, I know that it's hard for you to go out and stuff, but is there anything you're planning on watching doing? You do a lot of live streaming.
Speaker 5:Other than the usual. I'm still hoping my cousin will come, maybe, and take my mom, my best friend, who might be moving, possibly this year, down south. He's like oh, we got to hang out. I never get to hang out with you, because we used to always hang out when I was a kid. I was like I, we got to hang out. I never get to hang out with you, because we used to always hang out when I was a kid. I was like I want to come over and watch a movie or something. I was like yeah, you're always welcome. You ain't got to tell me he's done it too. He'll just show up and be like, oh hello, but yeah, hopefully something will work out. Then my ex offered to cut my mom's hair.
Speaker 1:Wait, Wait, I thought she had already done that. No.
Speaker 5:No, it hasn't happened yet, no, so we'll see. We'll see.
Speaker 1:If I win the lottery, I'm getting you a day off.
Speaker 4:Can you get him a week off?
Speaker 1:I'm going to get him a week off. If I win the lottery, I'll get you a day off. Can we give?
Speaker 4:him a week.
Speaker 1:You're generous.
Speaker 4:Can we give the brother a week, my God.
Speaker 1:Depending on how much I make. I meant like I would get you help forever. I didn't mean one day that came out so wrong, God I'm so cheap, just one day.
Speaker 5:One day.
Speaker 1:I guess the lottery depends on how much I win. I guess in this scenario I'm winning, like you know, $400. I don't know, it's not like gazillions, but I'm just saying I would hook you up. That was so long.
Speaker 5:I got to pray real hard, right.
Speaker 1:What are your plans this weekend?
Speaker 2:We're probably going to go visit my parents this weekend, since they moved back to California from Texas. Then we try and make it a point to go see them at least once a month for the weekend, you know, since they the weekend, um, you know, since they're closer.
Speaker 4:No, we've been back a couple of years, a couple of years but we make it. We, we make it our mission to to see them once a month and we always spend one weekend a month, if not longer. If we can do longer, we'll stay longer, but we, we make it our mission to make always spend time with them.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 4:Do you feel?
Speaker 5:like Disney too, or?
Speaker 2:no.
Speaker 4:No.
Speaker 2:I know Just kidding. Yeah.
Speaker 1:No, I don't hate it.
Speaker 2:We spend the weekend like cooking. My mom just cooks all like our favorite foods and stuff like that and we'll watch, we'll watch. You know, my mom loves like crime shows so we'll sit down and watch like the crime shows and my dad loves other movie stuff, so then we'll watch movies with them.
Speaker 4:You know, we'll just you know, just hang out these have been watching gladiator, or now that gladiator 2 oh my gosh, forget about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah he loves oh yeah he's like that dude, he's not that good, sorry.
Speaker 4:I haven't seen it yet, so I don't know.
Speaker 1:Oh no, it was great, Right, Rick?
Speaker 4:Gladio too, I haven't seen it.
Speaker 5:That was awesome.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're not being sarcastic at all. No, no no, we loved it, okay it was really good.
Speaker 1:It was. I am actually hoping to have a quiet weekend because I have so much work to catch up on, but I think what I'm going to start doing is thinking about how to have more fun and reclaim my childhood. I think that's what I just learned from all of you today, which is thank you. It's rare I say this respectfully it's rare that I'm thrown by something and I learned something amazing today. I love that. I love when that happens.
Speaker 3:So is there anything specific that you feel like you missed out on In my childhood? Yeah, that you want to like.
Speaker 4:Fun you want another. Fun stuff, fun stuff.
Speaker 3:Like my dad.
Speaker 1:Having a dad right Like just the whole crying thing the fun stuff I know, I know I it's something I have to think about because I it never, it never hit me until alma I mean you were all saying it, and then alma said something and it just, you know it started with rick. It just kind of threw me because I've never even thought about it like I, I don't know, I can tell you everything I've missed or wish I had, and it's sad, right, because we can all go down that road or whatever, but I never thought about the things I might have put out on like a little kid, like going, like I don't have a memory of going to Disney, you know, like, and I don't know Again, I'm not dissing Disney- I'm just messing, no, but something that I would had wanted to do, but I never went to it.
Speaker 1:The things I did that were childlike, that were not childlike because it was work for me is like I remember going to see rudolph noriev and don quixote right ballet, and I I was, but I was wanting to dance, so to me it was just being in that that whole arena, seeing Mikhail Baryshnikov, you know seeing, I mean, the Rockettes and all the you know like, and then going and seeing all of these Broadway shows. I don't know if that was me being a kid, though that was me like learning and watching, and and I loved it because that was me being a kid though.
Speaker 1:That was me like learning and watching and and I loved it because that was my, you know. So when I think about like coloring or I don't know, I have to think about it. It's an eye opener. What?
Speaker 5:If you weren't into it, you're not going to likely be into it now. I actually came across the YouTube video that was saying cartoons from the 70s. I was like, oh, let me see, I probably know a bunch of these. And then, some of them, I was like, oh my God, I remember that, and for what? Second, I was that kid watching it.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 5:I remember this Like I turned into that kid.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:I mean and I think that would happen too I just, yeah, I just feel really thrown by the question. Not that you guys are doing anything, I'm totally in a. This is not a normal Carmen is always in control of everything, type of thing, but this is me being a little dumbfounded, is I don't know what I missed out on? And, like you just said, I mean, yeah, I watch cartoons. The problem is when I think about cartoons too long, except for just enjoying them in the moment. I know why I miss them and reminisce in them, because my mother was alive when I was watching them, and that's where that goes to right, that trauma. You know what?
Speaker 3:I mean.
Speaker 1:Or being a latchkey kid, which I'm sure probably a lot of us do?
Speaker 4:I was too yeah.
Speaker 1:Being that latchkeyatching, being alone all the time, yeah, realizing then you're alone for real. Alone because you, like you were a latchkey kid, but your parents were coming home, or somebody was coming home at some point, you know yeah so I think that's what happened.
Speaker 1:It's like, how do I detach that and find the joy in the childhood stuff that you guys were embracing, and your laughter and the joy and your smiles as you're talking about it? I'm completely jealous of it. Like when you said that, rick, I was, and then you, you all just kind of in a and you didn't do anything wrong, you did everything right, it just hit me, oh my God, like I'm going to start crying. We need to stop.
Speaker 4:No, but that's the whole point. That was a great point for this episode of aging and then finding the joy in our childhood. Things See, we actually believe it or not we brought it full circle.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 4:So you know it's a great, it's a great way to you know, segue it all, put it all together. We put it all together Now. Your assignment is hey, it all together, we put it all together Now. Your assignment is hey, what am I going to do to find joy this week? And from my childhood and that's for anyone listening what are you going to do this week to find joy? Bring joy to yourself from a childhood memory or something you missed out on as a child that you can do now, whether it's in the park, putting your feet on grass and letting you just be grounded and being one, or feeling the air in your face, or looking at child laugh, or seeing them with their bubbles, finding their laughter, finding your inner child, looking at them being joyful. That's the best way to do that.
Speaker 1:I think, like when I was talking about being at the beach and loving the beach, what I realized sitting there, what I'm thinking about is what I can do to fulfill my dreams that I still haven't fulfilled, right. So it's always this, and I think that's the part that's hurting me is, I'm always trying to figure out how do I get to the next step in my life. So I'm doing the right thing or the? So I think that's what just threw me is like, even when I'm at the beach, in my place of joy and love it's my favorite place I'm still trying to play the adult. I can't even do you know what I mean like.
Speaker 4:So yeah, yeah you gotta let it go. You gotta let it go just for a little while. Yeah, just be of the and that's, that's exactly it.
Speaker 2:One of the things, one of the things that, especially with with Mario, having the health challenges that he did myself and then, you know, and then having Marissa in the midst of all of that, it was, um, always learning to be for myself when I'm speaking from me, learning to be grateful even in the hard places, you know, and and always realizing that everything that I've done up to this point is enough. If I don't do anything else, if nothing else comes of anything else, what I've done so far, up to this point, is enough. You know, I've, I've gone beyond anything that my parents accomplished, um, you know, just, uh, I'm crying, cause I'm seeing you crying so much, so much more. You've, um, you've honored your mother in your book and just in the life that you're living, because anyone else, anyone else at that young age to lose a parent, there's many that haven't done half as much as what you've done. So, everything you've done up to now, carmen, it's enough.
Speaker 2:You can rest, like you know, really, you can rest. You know, give yourself some grace. We're not doing this anymore and allow me, but give yourself some grace and allow yourself to know you made it. You made it when you sit on that bench. You made it, you made it. That is your first your full circle moment. You made it. When you sit on that bench, you made it, you made it. That is your first your full circle, moment you made it.
Speaker 2:You made it. You know what I'm saying. You're in that the bench is not your, that bench was not your, your, your last stop, that bench was your beginning. You know, and you've accomplished everything and you you have everything that you dreamt about. You you've accomplished that. No one gave it to you. You know, you worked hard for it and so be, be proud in that. But also, you know, find the joy in that and be you know, and I always say you know, always with a grateful heart. Just be, find the gratitude and it all, even in all of the hard things that came, you know, in your life as a young person. Yeah, they molded you, you know, and you look back on it and of course there's pain and all of those things but just find the joy in knowing that you did, you did good and your mom will be proud, okay, so okay, when she was young, like that, a lot of the adults probably like behind her back, be like, yeah, this one's probably gonna be you know right yeah, in my face
Speaker 4:well, you showed them all but you know that.
Speaker 1:That that's I mean. I appreciate it and, please, I really am so grateful. You guys are amazing. This cannot be what it is every week we do, but unless it's about you guys, then I'm happy, right, but I appreciate it so much I guess I I just need to do that thing that that you guys have it never even dawned on me is to look back on the childhood part and I'm I'm open and like I don't know what I don't know. So I didn't know it till I heard you guys say it. You know what I mean. It didn't even hit me and I have been in therapy and I've done all my work and done what I had to do, and but it's just never come across that way.
Speaker 1:So this is something new and beautiful, and I'm, I'm open to it and but I mean I know I don't think I don't know what I've accomplished, and the woman that I am, and I appreciate that than I am, and I appreciate that I, I, I know what you're saying. I think I mean I hate bringing up my mom cause I don't remember her and and and I know that she would be proud of me, but I think, um, what I am lacking for myself is the kind of joy you guys just all showed. You know, and, and I'm going to work on that, I'm, I am going to do my homework.
Speaker 4:Mario.
Speaker 1:And I hope everyone who's listening will too, because this for me, was just a life-changing light bulb moment. So, um, thank you all of you so much for today and, um, I also want to mention, um, just a couple of things. So, for people that are listening to the podcast the audio version of this we're going to be having the live streams now where everyone can join in and hang out and get therapy, I guess from Alma and Mario and Cynthia, on a weekly basis on Friday night, but actually we're going to open it up and have everyone come in. It'll be Friday night, but actually we're going to open it up and have everyone come in. It'll be Friday nights, but we will be having this podcast as our private lounge conversations on a weekly basis too, and this will air on Sundays. So, thank you so much, rick, for always being here, being the co-host and helping me out so much.
Speaker 1:Cynthia, I adore you, love you. Thank you for also always being here and helping me out and just always giving me so much more support as well Mario and Alma, I love that you guys are part of the team and I love that you guys show up and thank you for being here today. I appreciate it and thank you for all your teachings, both of you, and so with that, I'll say good night and thank you everyone for stopping by. Bye, everyone.
Speaker 4:Good night everyone.
Speaker 1:Thanks for stopping by. All About the Joy Be better and stay beautiful. Folks have a sweet day.