2.25 Courage - Parenthood

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-fifth day of each month is "Courage."
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A family riding around Lake Harriet in Minneapolis this morning.

I think that people who have kids are brave.  I also kind of think they're selfish idiots, too, but that's a whole different topic.  I can't imagine the pressure it is to be handed a miniature human and know that you are in charge of everything about them.  Beyond the concept of whether or not I am a good enough physical caretaker (I'm not entirely sure I'm responsible enough for my cat, let alone a child), I'm not entirely sure I am a good enough human being with enough moral rectitude to raise a  non-sociopath.

Parents are brave. They take on whatever special needs their child has. They take on a lack of sleep, an industry of parental judgment, and years of underappreciation and overemotionality.

We sometimes debate "the kid question" and pretty soon it's not even going to be an option.  I think there is no way to make a choice that doesn't lead to regret, so it is easiest for us to take the path of least resistance and remain childless.  But for those of you brave enough to take on the burden of parenthood with a grace and equanimity I could never have, I salute you.

Baby birds!

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.

2.24 Pain - Doing Errands

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-fourth day of each month is "Pain."
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We’re going out of town this weekend. I’m a bit tired of the not sleeping in my own bed for longer than three nights at a stretch, but this is all the traveling we’re doing until Labor Day (I think), so this is the last time I will have a morning like the morning I just had for a while. I dropped off the boy at work for “office hours” that absolutely no one will attend, so he will get a nice three quiet hours to himself and I ran around like a damn chicken with my head cut off doing errands. 

Normally I don’t really mind doing errands, but because of the STUPID CONSTRUCTION, it takes me 394872394 minutes longer to get where I’m going.  I find this frustrating.  And maybe I complain about it more than I should. Anyway, that’s the entire story. Errands do suck and I’m not telling you anything you didn’t already know. Pick up the CSA box early because we want to leave early this afternoon, go to Walgreens to pick up more contact solution, stop at the library (because, duh, I’m going to be in the car for hours), drop off an Amazon return at the UPS store, get cat food and cat treats because otherwise we’d have a pissy Zellybeaner, and buy some granola for the boy to eat on the trip. But don’t worry.

I got myself a reward at the end of it all.

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.

2.23 Writing – Amazing True Story

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-third day of each month is "Writing."
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Trying to find actual handwriting is harder than I thought it would be. We drove up to Milwaukee today so Dr. BB could go to the hipster barbershop for a beard trim and I was absolutely convinced we would find some graffiti I could take a picture of, but the hipster area of Milwaukee where we went was so free of city-like things like graffiti and trash on the ground, I could barely believe we were actually in the city limits.

By the time I met with my student at a local library, I was fairly convinced I was going to have to use some of our scratch paper from our session together for my “writing,” but then I saw this happy display of art and knew that it would fit the bill. I love libraries, I love librarians, and I love that library resources go towards projects that involve kids in thinking creatively, writing down ideas with actual handwriting, and making art.  Thank you, local libraries!

 

Text from the poster: In an inspiration story the bond between animals and humans, a boy named Sawyer discovers an injured dolphin, who is brought to a marine hospital and named Winter. Unfortunately, her injuries cost Winder her tail, without wich she may not survive. But with Sawyer’s devotion, a marine biologist’s experste and the brilliance of a protheist charged with creating a new tail, Winder may receive a seconde chance at life.

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.  

2.22 Seven Deadly Sins - Wrath (Shoddy Craftsmanship)

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-second day of each month is "Seven Deadly Sins."
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In April I ordered a pair of shoes from a company whose name you can see in these pictures, but whose name I refuse to type or utter ever again, except to say that you should never, ever, ever order a pair of shoes from them.  I received the shoes by the end of May and they were too big, so I sent them back to be resized.  When I received the shoes again, one of the elastic bands that loops to hold the leather bands in place was broken. I sent an email to the company, making my displeasure known.  They sent me a FedEx label and I returned the shoes yet again.

When I opened the box, this is what I found.

Let’s take a closer look at that.
This is the exact same problem I sent it back for the last time, but a different elastic band. 

I am beyond anger at this point to almost apoplectic rage.  I spent more on these shoes than I have spent on any other shoes in my entire life (and they’re adorable! I’d love to wear them), but what are my options now?  Send it back again? Get it fixed locally at a shoe store and hope that none of the other bands break on me when I’m not at home?  Demand my money back despite the company’s “no money back” claims? Argh. I hate confrontation, but this is absolutely unacceptable quality for the money I’ve paid.  

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit. 

2.21 Laughter - To Laugh or Cry

Bestest Friend and I are in the middle of a blog project. Each day of the month we will post a picture on a pre-determined theme and write a little something about it. The theme for the twenty-first day of each month is "Laughter."
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I was driving home from Minneapolis last night and as I opened up a bottle of seltzer water, the water exploded all over me, the car, and my hopes and dreams of getting home in time to watch a little bit of Chopped before bed.  The steering wheel, seat, and windshield were wet and my dress was soaked.  I was muttering under my breath about my own stupidity as I took the next exit and pulled into a gas station parking lot.


At this point, I just sat there, drenched, in the car. My shoulders started shaking and for just the briefest second, I thought I would cry.  But then I just started laughing and laughing.  It had been a long weekend filled with early mornings, so much physical exertion that my leg was throbbing as I was driving, and too much work. I was just mentally and physical exhausted.   So I just sat there and laughed.

Then one of those pickup trucks with a huge cab pulled up next to me and men just kept piling out of it.  Six men came out of one pickup truck – it was like the clown car of pickup trucks. By the time the last man came out of that truck, I was newly hysterical thinking about how closely they must all be smooshed in there together.

In the end, I got out the emergency blanket from the trunk, changed into the workout clothes I had barely used on my weekend trip, dried the car up the best I could, and sat on the blanket for the rest of the drive home.  I kept the windows down on the way home, singing along with the classic country songs pounding out of my speakers, and remembered that it’s how we handle the minor inconveniences in our life that makes us who we really are.

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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit to Quit.