The swirl of attention for the sixteen minutes of fame generated over the internet sensation “last Friday night” has me amused and a little puzzled.  That our internet culture elevates  a run-away “youtube hit” featuring drug and alcohol induced memory-fog, disarray of life in general and law-breaking alongside Congressman Anthony Weiner’s resignation makes it a peculiar news week.  The contrast is mighty stark.  The very thing that is sensationalized and held up as entertainment is cast down as unforgivable when found in real life rather than entertainment about real life.

In the search for excellence, the quest for personal insight and self improvement I think we may have left our sight for the dark side of our humanity behind.  We all have shadows.  It is what happens when we stand in the light – we cast a shadow.  A shadow of varying lengths depending on the light and where we are standing in relationship to it.  The metaphor is practically singing out, isn’t it?

THIS Friday  night I’ll be setting aside any attention to “Last Friday Night,”  Ms. Black’s copyright issues or Katy Perry’s play on the event…and focusing on THIS Friday  night. Now, metered verse is so far from what I do that I can hear all my friends screaming, “Don’t embarrass your self!  Some things don’t belong in print.”  They may be right.  And this may be the very first time in my life I’ve included the word “farty” in anything. But for your snickering and entertainment pleasure – Imagine a music video of four long time friends gathered at home, playing word games, telling stories and having a mindful, unencumbered, lawful blast!

This Friday night old friends are driving near

I count the minutes, I know they are almost here.

Projects and deadlines get set along the way because

THIS Friday night all we have to do is play.

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT I’m grateful to stay home

Just because we’ve got gas doesn’t mean we have to roam.

We’ll travel light (sofa bound) with funny stories that we tell

And the rest of the news? can go to, Well,

let me say…

instead of THAT-  a different way –

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT we’re staying healthy and strong.

We’ll party hearty while not doing anything wrong.

No innuendo or crisis will make us front page news

Because we’re simple and stalwart and we don’t have to choose

Between creating harm or having fun…

Because if it hurts us we aren’t one

to claim it in our party

That might make us “old and farty”

But in the larger scheme of things between resignations

and singing dingalings…we’ll pick the path that

has least resistance because, in truth,

we’ll go the distance

along with our friends,

simple life in tow,

THIS FRIDAY NIGHT

will be a quiet but memorable show!