Maybe it was because I opened the house to family in an unexpected way. What helped, too, was that I was out of the loop, not made privy to more unsettled and unsettling things happening between the Estranged One and Nathan that otherwise might not have allowed that happiness to hit the height that it did.
But, all that aside (and yes, that business mentioned had to do with kids and respect or rather, a lack thereof...) the day, the weekend, went over wonderfully. Maybe it had to do with getting over a cold, getting enough sleep, making sure my youngest got enough sleep, too. He's less edgy, much happier, brighter, when he's rested and thanks to that we had a good overnighter. Thanks to that rest we both appreciated the easy work details, the errands that needed to be run, the tons of toy soldier floor time, the sweet, good moments shared between us. First time in ages he's had me all to himself and that pleased him greatly, too.
But I think more than anything my happiness had to do with having the house filled with people, people who, had we gone on our merry way, would have never been able to join together to break bread the way we did yesterday. The Estranged One, Will and Sophia had just gotten off the road from a trip to Utah. There was a dance competition in Ogden that the girl had to attend and it went over big. Lots of awards, accolades, prizes. That certainly needed to be recognized and celebrated. When the weekend started I knew I couldn't go for the ride but that was just as well. Nate needed someone to ride herd on him and Thomas needed a place to go. All to the good.
But more than that it was also the Estranged One's birthday Friday. She was on the road that day and I wanted to be sure that we all celebrated it together as a family when she got back. So I made her a cheesecake, pulled off a pot of split pea soup, a bunch of loaves of homemade bread and a delish mussel dish out of the Times. I topped all that off by calling up her peeps and inviting them over to join in on the celebration. So in the end we all gathered together in the late afternoon in that tiny place of mine to eat, make merry, drink wine and sing the birthday song. Fabulous.
You know that I know how to pull off birthday parties, M. Doing all that for C yesterday made me realize that making your birthday a happy one wasn't a fluke. I know how to do it well, know how to make someone's day a special one. Waking up this morning with a pleasant buzz on made me realize that had we decamped and made this life our own I still would be pulling off birthday parties for other folks, but events like the one I pulled off yesterday could of never happened with that crowd again, least ways, not with the sense of lightness, happiness, joviality that permeated the house the way it did.
Nibbling on a piece of cheesecake this morning made me smile, think of you and reflect on our times. We walked a sweet and interesting path together years ago, you and I, and then, when that path got rocky, well, we each took, out of necessity, a separate and unknown lane. Mine was dark and hairy for long while there but since WA life has been good to me. Yeah, Boise has been very good to me, my dear. Been here has opened my eyes to what a pain the ass I was. It's chased away the darkness, banished the sadness, brought my children back into my life but more than that h as brought the sheer joy of living back into my life. I know that my adventure here has been exactly what I needed it to be and I hope that yours there has been good for you, too. If not the whole thing, well, let me just say that I hope your Sunday was stellar, too, my old love.
No comments:
Post a Comment