It must have been plain old exhaustion that kept me on the ropes (well, the couch, mostly) for the day yesterday. Nap and early bedtime finds me rested and feeling somewhat less sore. It’ll never go away completely, and I know that, so we’re good. The Babe told me to take it easy today, isn’t that good of him? No wonder I tell him he’s my favorite husband!
The plants need extra water today, another day predicted to be a scorcher. So do we humans and animals. Don’t forget your kids, too. They don’t often like to stop playing to drink water, but it’s necessary. Sunscreen for outdoors, too. That delicate baby skin can burn so quickly.
Have you ever told a story where you’ve had to make the choice between darkness and light? Where you’ve had to make a decision that may find you less popular with your friends but doing what you knew was right. We all have, if you think about it.
How do you feel afterwards? Sure, you have fewer “friends,” but you did the right thing. That’s all that matters in eternity. Whether you believe in heaven or hell is irrelevant. You stood for something in the annals of time. Even if no one remembers, you will. And hopefully those who matter will, too.
Sometimes it’s hard. Sometimes you can’t make a difference any longer, and it’s time to change where you’re making the effort. Sometimes it needs to come back into your home for awhile, as you decide where to go and what to do next. Sometimes, there’s no place like home. There should be no conflict there. At least nothing that lasts very long. I love our home. Our home is not a physical dwelling, although I do enjoy our physical home, the home we have in each other is none like I could have imagined.
My brother uses the phrase “Just do the next right thing.” This is a man who leads a transformed life. He’s been at the bottom of a dark pit, blaming others for his predicament. Like many before him, he finally admitted his powerlessness over alcohol and drugs. Steeped in positivity, he helps others. He is a best friend. The Babe and my son Frankie are also in that class. Dad always said, “Tim will be OK.” I have told him that many times, as Dad didn’t tell my brother. It means a lot to my brother to know Dad said that. People, tell your loved ones about your belief in them. That they’ll be ok. They need to know. You may not be able to tell them.
One thing I love about baby brother Tim is how positive he is. We are the two who can find blessings in the ashes. We have both had to look for them sometimes, but we find them. We encourage each other. It’s phenomenal. We laugh at things a lot. It just spirals out of control, and we’re both breathless from laughter. That’s so special. In some situations, we just need to catch each other’s eye, and there we go. We get each other.
Why is he my baby brother? He’s the youngest. Little brother Steve is between Tim and me. And big brother is older than me. The funny thing is, big brother is only about 5’2″ tall; I’m about 5’6″ tall; little brother is at least 6′ tall; baby brother is tallest, maybe 6’2″ tall. How does that happen? Mother Nature does strange things.
The Babe and I have relaxing on the front burner for today. I’m almost halfway through “Enchantress by Numbers” by Jennifer Chiaverini. I’m fascinated. It’s historical fiction, but accurate in the portrayal of society of Europe and Great Britain during the Victorian era. I’m at the part now where Ada Byron meets Charles Babbage. Fellow computer nerds will get the significance of that meeting.
Ada was a sickly child who was not allowed to engage her imagination in any way. Math and science were topics she studied as other girls read nursery rhymes and poetry. Her parents were separated, Lord Byron (famous poet) was thought to be insane, and Ada’s mother did not want her daughter to have the same problem. Denying creativity, imagination, and whimsy was her mother’s way of weaning her daughter from carrying insanity. Isn’t that strange?
I must say, parents did not coddle their children; Ada was frequently punished for her spontaneity by her mother leaving in the middle of the night to travel abroad for an extended period of time. The child suffered greatly, and hid her feelings by studying constantly about math and science. While her mother was a woman of means and title, most of her life was spent making sure her daughter wasn’t “ruined” of reputation or her virginity. People would talk. How sad.
The late 1880’s and on were not that many years ago; my grandparents knew of “society” in Omaha, Nebraska. It’s been in my lifetime the “Women’s News” in the newspaper has become simply local news. My father’s mother told me once, “A woman should only have her name in the newspaper twice in her life; once when she gets married, once when she’s buried.” That was the norm. No, it wasn’t that long ago.
Whatever you do, have a delightful day today. Stay hydrated. Do something enjoyable. And we’ll see each other tomorrow. Stay cool.
BTW: We’re at 943 followers now! Help a girl make it to 1,000! Thank you all so much! Let’s keep going!
Kathy Raabe 