Today was a good day because I ran away. Really.
I saved a few dollars here and there, I called my DEAR mother in law who
was able to watch the kids, and I took off for a few hours of bliss (and I
tried not to feel guilty about it).
When I taught in the fifth grade I learned that
during the Colonial Era parents would sit at the dinner table and eat first and
then allow the children to take the scraps afterward. As a teacher, I see a fine line there. Parent Group A who choose not to take care of
their child’s needs (like give them baths, give them a secure and loving home,
feed them three meals a day) and Parent Group B who sacrifice their own needs
for their child’s wants (like parents who wear threads when the child has 200.00
pair of shoes, a child who plays an expensive sport while the house payment
hasn’t been made in a while). I think
the majority of us fall in the middle threatening to cross the line. When I walked out of the door my 6 years old
demanded that I not leave… ‘You can’t leave until you take me to the pool’. Ummmm. Excuse me, I can do whatever I want
because I’m the grown up and how about a ‘pretty please can I go to the pool
mam’? If I ever wanted anything from my
mom, it would take me all day to get the courage to ask for a favor and when I
did it was in the sweetest, kindest voice I could muster.
Are we raising a generation that think they are our equals? Hey I love you little boogers but you haven’t
learned the life lessons like spending all night writing a paper, working an every
Saturday night minimum wage job, cleaning the toilet weekly, mowing a yard for
free, working in a soup kitchen, eating bologna sandwiches every night because
you know you can’t ask your parents for money again, driving a beat up old car
so you can appreciate a nice car when you can afford one! Come on kids you have to pay your dues before
you become the boss, and of course by that time you will understand everyone
else is the boss.
And I
reminded myself of these facts when I wondered if Connor was bored or Carlee
was crying too much or if I was spending too much on myself. I just let it go and had a great few hours. Out the door I sang this song to the top of my
lungs. Sure I got some weird looks at the
stop lights but I let Freedom Ring!
First, I went to my hairdresser T’s house….
She has a little shop at her house and there are
flowers everywhere! Not only does she do
great hair but she has a green thumb.
I
really enjoyed the visit.
Next, I went to cash in on my gift card my friend at
church got me during the hectic VBS week (love you M). I threw in an extra 10.00 to get the massage,
hot towels, stones, the WORKS. She worked on
my feet for 45 minutes while I read two chapters of my book (heaven).
The color is Satan Red. I’m a Rebel Without a Cause today.
On my way to the van I saw three women I work with eating at Subway and we chatted and laughed for a few minutes before…..
…I hit the greenway to catch up on my Couch to
5K. The thing about running is if you
skip a week, plan to start from square one.
It was really hard and I did more walking than running.
Last, I returned home refreshed and rejuvenated and much more PATIENT with a promise of taking these fish
to the pool tomorrow, if I’m asked!
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