Tuesday, May 28, 2013

On Aging

I've got two stories or ideas that prompt this post.

First. Last weekend, I made a trip to my parents' house for a special family event. Loveduck and I were in her room one afternoon, probably doing nothing in particular, when I noticed she had a hula hoop in the corner. It was blue and sparkly. But, Loveduck is 19 years old, so I was kind of confused.

So, I asked.

Me: Loveduck, why do you have a hula hoop in your room?
Loveduck: Why don't you have a hula hoop in your room?

Ah. Good point.

Second. I recently stumbled upon a picture on the internet. It was a picture of advice a 6th grader was giving to next year's 6th graders. Here's the advice: "As you get older things will seem more lame than before. Nothing will change but you, I promise."

(Here's the link to where I got that: http://iwastesomuchtime.com/on/?i=74073)

The philosophy. As we're fighting our battles, it's easy to feel like we can or should leave childish things behind. Things like finances and careers and appearances become more important than taking the time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life. See, if you listed the concerns of the average child, they would probably include things like how much candy their parents let them eat or how much play time they had each day. But as adults, we worry if we'll make it to the next paycheck, or if the boss is satisfied with our work, or if when we look in the mirror, our hips aren't too big. (You know what, that second list was easier for me to make than the one about children. Interesting.)

I've discovered that I seek out those friends who like to find a reason to laugh, and sometimes laugh for no reason except life is funny. Those times when we laugh until our sides hurt are the best. That's when we really connect to that inner child, and it makes it easier to fight the battle.

Monday, May 20, 2013

On Texting

A philosophy I've come to live by, and, at times, teach, is this: No matter how difficult your circumstance or trial, no matter how tired or stressed you feel, there is always a reason to smile and always a reason to hope.

Today, my reason to smile was a surprise text conversation I had with my nine-year-old sister. I'm still not clear on all the details, but it appears she had borrowed our sister's cell phone and wanted to text me. So, a little after 5:00pm this evening, I received the first text:

5:07 Ellen: What are you doing ellen? (Which clued me in that even though the text was sent from Loveduck's phone, the text was not from Loveduck.)
5:08 Me: Well, I just finished eating dinner. Now, I'm just listening to music while playing a game on my ipod. What are you doing?
5:10 Ellen: What game?
5:11 Me: It's called Sevens Pod. You have to play your cards faster than your opponent. It's fun. What are you doing?
5:13 Ellen: I i
5:16 Me: What?
5:19 Ellen:On monday i have no shcool.
5:20 Me: That's fun! Why don't you have school?
5:22 Ellen: Because it's a holiday
5:24 Me: Memorial day? And guess what? If Loveduck's mission call comes this week, i'll come home!
5:25 Ellen: Yes!
5:26 Me: I'm excited to see you!
5:27 Ellen: Me to!

This is where it really gets funny!

5:36 Ellen: Have you send?
5:36 Me: What?
5:40 Ellen: Have you send Me A text (I thought we were done with the conversation, but I guess she wasn't!)
5:41 Me: Oh, no, not for a bit. What movie are you watching tonight?
5:43 Ellen: I am not.
5:44 Me: You're not going to watch a movie and eat popcorn?! But that's what we always do on sunday evening!
5:46 Ellen: Loveduck cant eat popcorn but we will next week :) (Loveduck got her wisdom teeth out a few days ago, so no popcorn for her for a while!)
5:47 Me: Oh, I see! How is Loveduck feeling today? Are you helping to cheer her up?
5:49 Ellen: Macoronee (What? Pretty sure she was referring to macaroni, but why? Maybe I just hope she was trying to type macaroni and this is just a nine-year-old's adorable misspelling. But also, maybe she made a mistake and didn't know how to delete it, so she just sent it. Either way, I laughed so hard at that one!)
5:50 Ellen: I am making her feel better and she is eating yogurt but she is not eating
5:51 Me: Well, you are a good sister for helping her to feel better! I wish I could come help! I bet it hurts her to try to eat food. Give her a hug for me, ok?
5:54 Ellen: I will give her a huh i love you!
5:55 Me: I love you too, sweetheart!

Later in the evening, when I could be fairly certain Ellen wasn't playing with Loveduck's phone, I texted her to ask if Ellen had help with those texts. Turns out, Ellen mostly did it herself, but had some help with one or two of the longer ones. Interesting.

I'm so grateful for Ellen and all the times she has been my reason to smile. Ever since she was born, she has been the sun that shines on my darkest days. I love her more than she can ever know.