at the table
April 29, 2016 § Leave a comment
The sweetest meals are those served with stories. Last night our son was still laughing at his own private joke.
In class yesterday, his teacher experiencing a rare lapse in patience over the inattention of distracted teenagers, pointedly chose a child to answer the question posed. When it was clear to my son that the student in question was desperately disengaged, he whispered urgently an irrelevant number only to have said child blurt the wrong answer.
Emphatically.
Another day I might have worried over the other student’s feelings or the teacher’s frustration, but today I’m still laughing at the game our son was playing. This child so often accused of lapsed social skills was clearly demonstrating mastery in my favorite shade of sarcasm.
notable quotables
January 11, 2012 § Leave a comment
Wise and witty my children lend me humor and perspective in voices blessed with naivety and knowledge. I thought I would gather a few of my favorites to share.
If I am right, you must be wrong. My daughter has natural comedic timing. This discovery unfolded in her voice and eyes as she organized her thoughts out loud. Clearly, we are never too young to enjoy being right.
I wish there was a way to recycle wasted time. My son has revisited the subject of time desperately trying to make sense of its value. I cherish his realization that time is a resource we must not squander.
Adults over think possibility. I could not be more grateful that my son is already conscious of this truth. I am saving these words for him least he lose this awareness one day and limit himself.
You don’t have to have a man to be happy. I wish my daughter a life rich in healthy, fulfilling relationships and joy that comes from within.
My son to my daughter: You have a tendency to be very peculiar, which I find fascinating. May they both uncover the unique differences in those around them and celebrate diversity.
Next, I may sift through old notes for a few tongue twisters; early childhood sharings that come out mispronounced and rich in innuendo.
alphabet soup
October 20, 2011 § Leave a comment
Motherhood has familiarized me with the flavor of over-served meals. I have eaten my own words, nose pinched, on multiple occasions. The mere suggestion of an emphatic statement and I anticipate the word du jour. Yesterday’s word was never.
At the beginning of the school year, in a grand proclamation, I stated I would never race back to school to gather my son’s misplaced homework. He would simply face the natural consequences of forgetting, thereby helping him remember in the future. Last night I ran back to school for my son’s school book. (This is where I would insert a footnote, dense with a beautifully constructed over-worded explanation to rationalize my decision.) Rather than offer excuses, I kick myself a little for talking out loud.
Today I am embracing silence.
no good, horrible, very bad
October 12, 2011 § Leave a comment
Day. We all have them. I often marvel at my own inability to stop in the midst of unfavorable odds and quarantine myself to the serene sanctity of my home. Stubbornly, I push against misshapen moments, determined to forcibly extract the silver lining from the gray cloud following me around. The entire spectacle is amusing, even to me.
Today, it began with an errand. Rather than double-check store hours before leaving home, I reassured myself I needn’t bother. Closed storefronts sent me directionless, chasing after items on my to-do list out of order. Rearranging my errands I decided to drop off a prescription at my local pharmacy and then spontaneously elected, due to a non-existent line, to get a flu shot. I was silently applauding my own stroke of multitasking genius when I looked over my shoulder to see the pharmacist swamped by a mysterious rush of customers. Still preening over my accidental accomplishment I determined I would make the most of my unhurried moment and used the time to schedule an appointment. Just as I ended my call the pharmacist appeared and administered my shot. Then, unceremoniously, my arm fell asleep. I am already less than graceful, this led to experiments in physical ability. Flopping my arm I must have looked half mad as I made my way to the next stop attempting to shake sense into my lazy limb.
The sought after store still closed, I detoured to a nail salon and decided to wait with productive patience and indulge in an unscheduled manicure and pedicure. The same clumsiness that leads me to trip up stairs also leads to chipped nail polish, I should have skipped the manicure. Situated serendipitously beside a friend of a friend who naturally exudes style and grace, I endeavored to have a conversation but tripped over my thoughts. In an effort to escape my own awkward attempts at casual banter I retreated to my car, prematurely, and mussed my manicure.
This would have been an ideal time to return home and settle in with a book while waiting on a load of laundry, but I was not yet done. The one item on my list mandatory to retiring my to-do list for the day was collecting materials from a school district office. Note I said “a”. I realized the assumption of “my” school district office was in error after smiling and waiting patiently at my school district office, twice. I was never one to read directions, clearly the particulars of an e-mail were also subjective. Once I located the appropriate office, happy to have found the materials I needed, I joked jovially about my error to the receptionist just before stepping around the open door to force open the closed door. It was that kind of day.
Of course no good, horrible, and very bad seem excessively negative. I am certain tomorrow will be better. No need to move to Australia*.
*I reference one of my childhood favorites Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst.
scribblechic 