Another Day and Another Ticket to Ride
We all get free tickets to ride this roller coaster. Some of us love roller coasters, but anyone who knows me knows that I do not! Just ask my brother-in-law about the marks in his arm that are still there from our trip to Great America in 1998. That said, anyone who knows me also knows that I try to be positive and find the good and I also don’t mind telling you the truth about my what’s going on in my life- the good and the bad. So I’ll continue sharing our experiences on the roller coaster, acknowledging the bad and finding the happy.
Yesterday was the first day I wore a mask to the grocery store. I love my local grocery store and I know the names of most of the people who work there. My family jokes that I spend more time talking to everyone there than I do actually shopping. I absolutely hate wearing a mask because it makes me feel like I am afraid of the people around me. I know it is what we need to do and I know it is not a judgement of people but somehow it feels that way to me. I know I can still talk to the folks at the store, but really I’m trying to spend the least amount of time there as possible — a complete departure from my normal behavior. That said, I was able to shop for my friend and her family who are now in quarantine and I was able to give Bill and Pete air hugs on my way out of the store, so there is the happy.
Later in the day I took a walk with my husband and our dogs. I suggested we walk to our friend Joe’s house and give him a shout out from the sidewalk. I While he still has a fever his symptoms have not worsened and the rest of the family remains symptom free. Along the way we stumbled upon a car parade of the teachers from the area elementary school. Kids and families were in their driveways with balloons and posters and cars we honking as they made their way down the street. Never thought I’d see teachers driving along the streets waving to their students. Way to go teachers!!! So there is the happy.
Walking back into our driveway, we found our daughter sitting in her windowsill looking out over the driveway. We moved into a new house last August and leaving the house where she grew up was hard for my daughter. Seeing her smiling face in the window, I had an idea. We have attic space over the garage and there is a great place to sit in a window up there. My daughter and I headed up in the attic space to check it out.
We ended up sitting on the ledge of the garage watching the sunset. We joked that for the time being friends could come over to the driveway and she could sit up there and talk to them because she’d be over 6 feet away. We then started planning how she could use this space with her friends this summer. We could get some carpets, beanbags, pillows and maybe even put a sheet up from the ceiling and she could watch movies up there. She is excited about the possibility of what could be and I’m a possibilitarian. I’m also a realist and I’m not sure that she will be able to have her friends over this summer. It’s April so you hope that by summer time we will be able to socialize but who knows. Sitting on the ledge with my daughter, whose final semester of her senior year is not going as she planned, I chose to live in the moment of possibility. So today we are going to start planning for the possibility of that space and hope that come July she will be up there with a few friends. That’s our plan for today. Find the happy.
