I don’t recall a school year during which so many babies came into my corner of the world. We seem to be celebrating and welcoming a new bundle of joy with regularity this school year- a welcome and refreshing act compared to the reality of 2020-2021. That thought this morning inspired this simple verse to be “penned” over lunch.
Thank you babies- For reminding us of Fresh starts New wonders In which you revel. Thank you babies- For bringing us Back to the basics To showing us What really matters. Thank you babies- For being Seemingly abundant This year! The world needs that.
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Has a meal ever brought you back? Brought you back to your roots? Your family table growing up? When your dinner plate brings you to a place where your palate totally syncs with the emotional comfort of the meal?
Surprisingly that happened tonight with a totally thrown together dinner. I had leftover cooked baby taters hanging out in the fridge, so this morning I whipped up a quick potato salad with an extra dash of dill. I figured we'll consume it throughout the week. But then, I recalled the uncured, fully cooked, Angus beef Polish sausage I had picked up earlier this week because an account I follow on Insta had touted it as a "healthy as sausage can possibly be" choice. Heat up a can of baked beans -which is totally for my native Texan hubby's palate- and voila! This first generation Lithuanian American girl is a happy camper:) I missed a side of pickled beets- but I'll be sure to pick those up for next time. Easy and satisfying Sunday supper! Not gonna lie... it's the first time since this challenge started that I am not feelin' it.
I honestly don't feel like doing this in this moment, but I shall, I must, I will. That may sound like a negative start to a post for the best day ever since last March, but I am still so busy in my heart and head...processing the best day ever! Today, I hugged my eldest daughter the first time in a year and played with my sixteen month old granddaughter indoors, with actual interaction. Thank you Pfizer, thank you! Beyond words... so much joy and so much relief...so much emotional wonderful processing. Signs for the Universe are something I believe in and rely on. Through my spiritual, metaphysical explorations I have read more than once about asking for a sign when one is unsure of something, looking for guidance, needing assurance. My sign is a feather- has been for many years. Just when I seem to be needing a “you got this girl” the Universe delivers a feather. I can't say that I am in any state of spiritual quandary currently, other than living in the same unsettling space that we’ve all existed for the last year. The worry, the gratitude, the frustration, the relief, the ups and downs…
Yesterday, I saw a feather waving in the grass as I walked the dog on a blustery evening. Today, as I stepped onto the sidewalk as I arrived at school- wham- another one! This one was long and gray, a goose’s most likely. While out at recess today, I walked over to a first grader sitting on the grass, admiring something in his hand- a feather. This prompted a conversation with a coworker I only ever see at recess duty and she shared the meaning of feathers in her life. I shared mine. Birds of a feather, getting a very special delivery today, right when we didn't even know we needed one. Only forty-eight more hours! I literally feel giddy at the thought of Saturday morning!
It’s a feeling for which there are no words, but I’ll try to put them “on paper”. It’s a feeling of extreme anticipatory JOY! A sensation of my heart bursting with happiness causing chills up and down my arms at the thought. The picture in my mind’s eye is vivid, yet constantly changing. Will I just sit on the couch and watch the moment unfold? Will neither she nor I be able to wait and we”ll crash into playing? Will she be hesitant to pass that six foot distance at which we have been interacting outdoors for the last year? My senses prognosticate their own impressions- how soft will her cheek be? How sweet her scent? Her precious voice in person- not via FaceTime or MarcoPolo- will it have the same tender, yet sometimes silly, tone? Oh my gosh- hurry Saturday! Hurry “I get to play with my granddaughter ” day! Hurry “I can safely hug my daughter” day! Hurry, hurry, hurry! My eyes hurt.
I need to walk. If I see another spreadsheet... Can I reschedule that meeting? Seriously? I'm so frustrated. Wait? What? We're doing what next week? Hold on-I'll project it to the TV so you can see. Which column was that? These were the moments in my mind most of this day- our very welcome PLC day, small group, planning time day. My immediate coworker and I were at the screens all day as we all are in these times, but the other end was Docs and Sheets- not Jesus and Mariam, nor Camila and Gabriel. We started the day thinking that the rest from students was a blessing, as we'll get so much of our other duties checked off. Then- when I logged into my classroom and saw my small group of students this afternoon, all the aforementioned stress slowly melted away. We were laughing about idioms and discussing shamrocks, asking questions and delving deeper. Thank you for the recharge third graders! You are what it's all about. Just keep going...Same parka, same boots, same routine, here we go...Like Groundhog Day. More dreary weather, haze, is that drizzle or ice melting from the trees? More masking and distancing and sanitizing awaits once I’m in school, and then I think “smile”-just smile. So many reasons to smile are right under your nose!
Smile. So I smiled to myself through my entire commute this morning feeling a little like Julia Roberts in “Eat, Pray Love” when her monk friend gives her the directive to meditate daily for an hour and smile throughout it all. Smile. Here we go! It’s going to be a grand day! As I make the usual commute to school this morning, I pump myself up mentally about all this time change nonsense. Ha! I shall laugh in the face of any hint of my body clock saying it’s earlier than the clock shows. I shall power through- no worries! Anyone else with me here? We do this annually and always survive, until...the yawning, the lack of pep, the extra need for some energy inducing snack all kick in at once. Needless to say- the day was a bit of a struggle.
In stark contrast- all the meh of the day was kicked aside for total jubilation when I finally caught up with all the messages that accumulated on my phone. The last two family members who have been tracking, hunting, app-ing, day and night-ing for Covid vaccines finally found available appointments! Woohoo! One never knows what the day can bring! PiDay is a day
That mathematicians love But means more to me! I wake excitedly to the prospect of all the things I can get done this Saturday! I enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee or two as I go through the accumulated mail- mostly junk- and make a plan for the to-dos of this Saturday. Of course, with the beautiful weather, a walk is in order, oh....and then I promised myself I'd not skip yoga this weekend. Oh yes! I have that package I must get to the post office before they close today and we definitely need to stock up on groceries. In between, I will knock out a few loads of laundry and try to get a good phone chat in with my daughter, who is self-quarantining after her roommate's exposure to the virus that is controlling our lives. Fortunately, I spotted the note I had left myself on the counter to slice today! Tomorrow is hopefully more restful, and then... we embrace another work week, another race to Friday, another week of experiences that cause both stress and joy, and leads to another weekend that always just seems a bit quick.
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Lydia DudenasPondering, appreciating, creating- at home, at school, in life. ArchivesCategories |