Longing for and reminiscing about the past are so tempting. I read a quote yesterday about the importance of appreciating the halcyon days when our children were young and our parents were healthy. Actually, I was extremely thankful for those times although it also makes it more difficult to let go of them and accept the present where relationships are complicated and families can be…problematic.
My treat for yesterday was driving on Interstate 5 in rush hour (JUST KIDDING!) to meet OD and the boys for their swimming lessons. They are both making such progress! Afterward, we had dinner at a local Thai restaurant; I thought of how impressed my parents would have been to see the littles enjoying Masaman curry, Pad Thai, crab rangoons, and mango sticky rice while discussing their love for various cuisines like Indian food. Isn’t it clever and cute to make a flower with the straw? As inept as I am, I would have no idea how to do this. While we were eating, Older Daughter talked about how excited she is for my birthday party and interrogated me on exactly what kind of cake I want her to make, besides the Costco chocolate one that I’ve fallen in love with. She knows that hummingbird and carrot cake are my favorites, but I don’t want her to stress herself out, as I mentioned to her. I now realize that she would have been terribly hurt if I’d sent the email asking to cancel the party, so I’m very relieved that I didn’t do so. A shout out to my future Ireland roomie and long-time friend for her wise counsel about the party and for talking me down from the emotional cliff where I’d stranded myself.
Speaking of Ireland, one of the documents that I’ve printed out is a list of our fellow travelers. I thought they would mostly be from Washington, but they’re from all over, including a couple from Colombia. I noticed quite a few singles also, reminding me of my trip to Scotland when I often felt alone as the rare, uncoupled person. I’ll do my best to befriend those singles, occasionally inviting them to sit with us or join us at dinner, as my parents always did when they went on tours. However, I also don’t want anyone to latch on and hang out with us all the time, especially if their personalities don’t mesh with ours. Or their politics!
I fit in another walk yesterday since the air quality was still moderate in the morning. Today will be hot and I’m busy this morning, so unless I’m willing to exercise in 93-degree hazy sunshine, I’ll have to take a pass. As I went by this street, a guy was taking photos of the caution tape, so I innocently inquired about it. He went off on a rant about how a moving van hit the lines, the garbage trucks couldn’t get through and now he has to wait another week for his garbage pick up. Instead of being angry at the moving van, he was outraged at the garbage company who wasn’t making a special trip out to get his trash. Hey, they’re on a schedule, dude. Whenever I’ve called the company, I’ve chatted immediately with a very nice and helpful person; for skipped pickups (usually for weather), they’ve instructed me to just put the extra garbage in bags and set them alongside the can the next week. However, this guy just wanted to be angry, so I walked on.
On a more positive note, doesn’t Ian have the sweetest smile?
Also, John and I have a date for Friday to go to my favorite Tacoma waterfront restaurant for lunch, possibly followed by a film. Although we would both like to see “The Odyssey,” I’m leaning more toward “Toy Story 5.” I need something funny and feel good!
A quote I love:
“When you walk through a museum, you’re not just looking at art. You’re moving through centuries of people trying to explain love, grief, power, beauty and belonging.”
Great literature does the same.
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