First thought: I had about twelve strangers ask me in the last week when I was having my baby. And then they would say, "oh, you look so small." But I'm suspicious. Why would one ask when a due date was if...anyway - but I guess whether or not I really am small I should take the, "you're so small" compliment and belive it with all my heart. That can't hurt.
Second thought: I used to think running a long-distance race was the best metaphor for life - you know you have to work hard, struggle through pain, the hardest part is when you know you're almost done, and your reward for this hard work is increased strength in mind, body and spirit etc. etc. I wore my sister out on the metaphor when we were growing up and now my husband is getting pushed to his, "It's just like running a marathon..." limits. But I might change things up now...because gardening, wow, gardening is just like life. Sometimes everything is going right and then it goes wrong, and then you struggle to solve the problem or you have to let something go, and you hope for next time, you try to learn, you can't let up for a day in watchfulness or plant morbidity will soar, but then you put your first zucchini in the fridge and all seems right with the world. Wow - writing this is making me see that I think life is a lot of work and pain and struggle. That sounds like the pits. But I like it - maybe I'm weird. Work is so darned satisfying though.
Third thought: I think I imagined that having my husband back would be like going to a spa. I would sit back and relax and drink koolaid and eat chocolate chip cookies - something like that. Instead - I think I've worked harder this week then I have for a while. The man came back and fixed all the broken things on our house, cleaned out the garage, put the kids to bed every night, mowed the lawn, built himself some new stuff in his gym, went to work, sold his motorcycle, bought a new mountain bike and took three children four and under out to the movies. How can a girl be lazy when there's someone working like that around here - especially a competetive girl - who wants to claim to be the best worker ever? In other words it was a happy week. If you don't understand that, see thought two above.
2 comments:
Worn out metaphor? NO way! I think single life if like a marathon. Then you get married and have kids and it becomes a garden, because you have to take care of things and make them grow and that's a lot of work. But I think it's a marathon garden.
I love this comment - I forgot to even think of my kids as my plants. Although there have certainly been times already where I've looked at my pepper leaves falling off inexplicably and wanted to put the pepper plant in time-out.
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