I shaved my legs yesterday. I also changed my sheets. I don’t say this to brag; these two minor accomplishments are only relevant because they provide the backdrop for my morning. I began my day today in a state of sleepy bliss. My smooth legs were just the right temperature under my clean sheets and the tension had somehow evaporated from my shoulders and as many times as I opened my eyes and chatted with my husband and rolled over, I could not manage to pull my head off of the pillow. I felt utterly relaxed. And smooth.
So I stayed there for as long as I could; when I finally got up, I headed to my beautiful, newly-renovated bathroom. And as I brushed my teeth, a steady stream of water flowed from the light fixture above me onto my head and down my back and I shrieked. As an independent, self-sufficient woman does, I yelled for my husband.
As I write this, we still haven’t figured out the source of the leak. Luckily, I’m married to a plumber, so I have every confidence that he’ll get it taken care of… the best part being that I won’t need to be involved in the process at all unless he needs someone to hold a flashlight.
But that particular example is a solid illustration of the ups and downs of this week. Nothing’s been earth-shattering. No crisis. No joyful surprises. Just the mundane, post-holiday, relaxing-recovering-cleaning-gettingthefreakingflu- type stuff that fills the week or two after Christmas.
We had a nice Christmas brunch with friends; and subsequently, every person who was at that gathering went down with the flu. A few days on the couch, aching and coughing and complaining… nothing too terrible, but a generally rotten way to ring in the new year.
And just before we all went back to school, the little one sprained his ankle on a friend’s hoverboard. Being in the running for mother of the year, I told him to ice it and gave him some ibuprofen, and fully expected that he’d be fine by morning. Except he wasn’t. He was using the spare set of crutches that hangs out in the garage, and when it came time to get on the bus, I finally told him that he couldn’t go to school. Not because I thought he was in too much pain. Not because I was worried about his well-being. He couldn’t go to school because then I would be the neglectful mom who didn’t even take the kid to the doctor and just sent him to school on someone else’s crutches!!!
So I made the doctor’s appointment. We got the x-rays. And guess what? He’s fine. Nothing broken, and approximately 48 hours later, he’s running around like a fool and those crutches are back in the garage. See? Ups and downs. Nothing Earth-shattering.
That’s what this week has been full of; mild disappointments and mundane moments of joy. I don’t really buy into all that, “New Year, New You” resolution hype. I’m a public schoolteacher and a mom and a creature of habit. I make all my resolutions in September; by January 1st, I’m just proud that my kids are still alive and fed. When the New Year rolls around, I’m settling in and preparing to enjoy a little bit of winter mediocrity. I’m ready for lazy snow days and jigsaw puzzles and weekend trips to the library to stock up on books and movies to sustain us through the winter dark. I’m reading up on crock pot recipes to fill our bellies with sustenance and warmth with minimal effort. I’m stocking up on duraflame logs because I love a fire but not enough to actually build one.
After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season dies down, what I really need is some space to enjoy all of these beautiful every day moments. I need to stop and listen to the fire crackle and marvel at the beauty of a snowflake and gently run my fingers through my son’s hair when he falls asleep during family movie night. I need to relax and enjoy the sensation of newly-washed sheets on newly-shaved legs. And then I need to haul my butt upstairs and hold the flashlight while my amazing husband figures out this freaking leak.
Love this one
Thank you!