I have been enjoying listening to podcasts lately, including "This American Life," an hour-long podcast which is broken up into "acts". Each act is focused on a common theme, but tells a different story or perspective.
Yesterday, I listened to an episode in which each act focused on superheroes or superpowers. Here is the description of Act 1 "Invisible Man vs. Hawkman: "John Hodgman conducts an informal survey in which he asks the age-old question: Which is better: The power of flight or the power of invisibility? He finds that how you answer tells a lot about what kind of person you are. And also, no matter which power people choose, they never use it to fight crime. (14 minutes)"
As I listened to the survey and the responses, I found myself asking the same question. Which superpower would I choose?
I've never had a desire to have a superpower. Though, when I was younger, I used to wrinkle up my nose and wish that I could make my bedroom magically clean itself--the way Samantha could on the television series "Bewitched"--never actually believing that it would work.
However, I have had many dreams over the years when I "fly". I never fly in the way that Superman does. The best way to describe it is like swimming in the air. I jump up, and instead of falling down I keep gliding for a while, using my arms to propel me forward. After about the time that I would have run out of air if I had been swimming, I gentle glide back to the ground. Then I can jump back up and start gliding, swim-flying through the air again. These dreams are never very exciting, but the movement always feels peaceful and natural.
So, which superpower would I choose? Flying. It would be exciting to have a birds-eye view whenever I wished. And think of all the traveling I could do!
Then the interviewer started asking whether we would use our superpower for good. After all, that is what superheroes do--use their powers to fight crime. I felt selfish then, never thinking of helping others. Could I do amazing things with the power of flight even if I didn't have extra strength? I decided that I would use my ability to fly to rescue children in abusive situations. Perhaps I would get involved in an organization like Operation Underground Railroad. I liked the idea of flying scared and hurting children out of the bad and offering them some kind of comfort.
I found this survey so interesting I brought it up with Ryan this morning before school. Which superpower would he choose? "Easy. Invisibility." Why? "Because then I could hide from people." He could also sneak snacks while I taught piano lessons and stay home from school. I look forward to asking Todd about his superpower preference.
I recognize that this survey was done for entertainment and without any official research to back it up. However, the discussion made me think (and that's always a good thing). The host concluded that people who chose flight were more confident. Often those who chose invisibility felt they had something to hide and were more likely to use their superpower for questionable activities (Sorry, Ryan!). I appreciated the comments of one man who, as he talked out his answer, recognized that for him invisibility would "lead him down a dark path." And for that reason, he changed his answer to flight.
I often wish, after listening to a podcast that I find interesting, that I could find someone else who enjoyed listening to and talking about the same things. I like having the back-and-forth dialogue. You never know where the conversation is going to go, and when done with the right person, the exchange can be uplifting and encouraging. On that note, I welcome your thoughts. What superpower would you choose?
P.S. Todd's great response: "I Flight, I guess. I don't know. Neither. I'm fine the way I am." Love this!
Anne's inspiring response (keep in mind that I only gave her the question, not the discussion that came after): Right away, Anne chose invisibility. She went on to describe how she would use this power for good. She explained that she wouldn't choose flight, because without extra strength she didn't feel she would be able to accomplish very much good. With invisibility she could act as a spy and expose corruption. I'm proud to say that my best friend has the heart of a superhero!
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
For Brett From Home (4/24/12)
I miss having you around to share my little nothing-happenings. However, it has been kind of fun recording these daily thoughts. Years from now it will be interesting to see what concerned me and what I thought about.
I mentioned on the phone that the sago palm is splitting. It is forming two cones. It isn't the sago palm right by the mailbox as I first told you. It is the one closest to Bobby's yard.
The lawn mower is working well enough that your dad was able to use it today. It still has troubles though. I'm not sure what the diagnosis is, but the motor keeps dying. I blew off the back patio and your dad successfully mowed our yard yesterday. Hooray! Hopefully the oaks are almost done dropping. I will make a point to check the gutters and clean them out soon.
We finally got some good rain last Tuesday. We needed it. It was pouring hard for at least a half hour right after the boys got on the bus. I would like to have been curled up in bed, but no such luck. It was kind of a cozy, snuggle-up rain. I don't suppose you have that same feeling about rain these days.
We got more rain on Saturday. Since then the temperature has dropped, and it has been quite nice, although windy. The wind chimes were so loud on Sunday when Jen was over that she shut the sliding glass door. She said she felt like she had to yell to talk to me. I was thinking about you all day today wondering how cold you have been. I heard that had some snow in New England.
The spring weather has been beautiful lately. There have been a few days (today included) when I would really like to have driven the Mustang. I'll just have to wait until you're back in the fall and make a point to drive it then.
The boys are still not getting to bed with any regularity. It would drive you crazy. There was one day last week when Ryan just didn't wake up on his own. He was completely out of it, and I felt so bad for his tired little body that I let him sleep in until 7:45am. I finally had to go in and wake him up. He was thrown off by the fact that he had slept in past the time that the bus is supposed to come. It made him a little grumpy until he discovered that I had decided that all of the boys would just be car riders that morning.
I have also not been going to bed well (big surprise!). I am not staying up past Midnight; my bedtime has been more like 11:30pm. But the six or seven hours of sleep I get each night just hasn't been enough. It is starting to wear on me. In fact, last week I had a dream where I came across an alligator snapping turtle (which didn't look like a real alligator snapping turtle--its shell was covered in fuzz...). I knew that the turtle was quick and vicious and I had to move it out of the road (I'm not sure why...). But I was simply too weak and tired to get it out my way. I wasn't just tired in my dream. I was weak and tired in real life, even though I was sleeping, and it carried over into my dream.
In fact, I have been remembering a lot of my dreams lately. Some of them are good dreams. Many of them are spurred by real-life situations. (Anne had recently told me about coming across an alligator snapping turtle in the middle the road.) I had a dream where I attended an end-of-the-year function at the elementary school. There was some drama in the dream, but what stuck out to me was the table of desserts we got to sample. One of the desserts served was pineapple upside-down cupcakes. I had recently seen a recipe for them in my recipe binder (in real life and in the dream) and was so excited to be able to try them. I woke up wanting to bake them, but have had to hold off because we still have too many sweets around the house from Easter and now Todd's birthday.
Monday was Todd's birthday. It may take me a while to get used to him being NINE years old. We celebrated yesterday and today. I will probably let him invite a friend or two to do something fun this Saturday as well. On Friday your dad took Todd and me out to dinner (Chinese) for our birthdays (even though mine is still a month away.) On Sunday we had the whole family over for cake and ice cream. Todd got a few presents from the family. Yesterday morning I let Todd open the few presents from me before breakfast. I made him orange ricotta pancakes, which he had requested the night before. And I baked chocolate chip cookies for him to share with his class at school. The boys had baseball after school and I had chorus practice tonight, so we didn't really do anything to celebrate in the evening. All in all, we kept it simple, but I think Todd was really happy with his birthday.
Baseball is still going strong. I feel like I haven't seen very much of their games. Last week I stayed home from Todd's two games in order to put Ryan to bed earlier. When your dad took us to dinner on Friday he told me that Todd had been hit by the ball during his game the night before. I asked Todd to show me. He has a huge bruise on his thigh! He never mentioned it when he came home that night. (It was so late that I had to hurry him along just to get him in bed before 10:00pm.) And he never mentioned it the next morning before school. Poor tough guy.
Last week it seemed like Copper was not keeping up with me very well on his walks. Last night was a completely different story. He was so full of energy. I asked your mom if we could give him a run yesterday evening just as it was getting dark. Copper ran harder than I have seen him run in a while. When I got back I told your mom that I was sure that he would have run away last night without that run. This morning he was in the mood to run as well. I'm glad that I was able to give him his morning roller-blading run. He had no trouble keeping up with me. Since the morning was crisp and beautiful I made sure that I went a little longer for him.
The other day I mentioned smelling the honeysuckle vines on the golf course. The flowers smelled so sweet last night that I commented on them. Todd corrected me and informed me that they were jasmine. I looked it up on Wikipedia last night. He was right, of course. And clearly I know nothing about flowers!
I am looking forward for your return for Copper's benefit possibly more than mine. We sure try to do our best with him, but it's not the same. On Sunday he did something that he hasn't done in a very long time. I had gone to Publix the day before and bought a baguette. When I came home from church all that I could find of it was the plastic bag it came in torn in pieces. He ate the entire thing. Luckily it doesn't look like it made him sick. Thank goodness he left Todd's birthday cake alone. It was cooling on a rack, covered with a dish towel.
I have been getting my fill of chick flicks while you have been gone. Lately I have been crushing on Zac Efron. Yes, he is quite young and was a star on Disney's High School Musical. But he has grown to be quite the good-looking man. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest chick flick he starred in.
Wishing you were here to hug and kiss on. Hope you're doing well.
Much love from home.
I mentioned on the phone that the sago palm is splitting. It is forming two cones. It isn't the sago palm right by the mailbox as I first told you. It is the one closest to Bobby's yard.
The lawn mower is working well enough that your dad was able to use it today. It still has troubles though. I'm not sure what the diagnosis is, but the motor keeps dying. I blew off the back patio and your dad successfully mowed our yard yesterday. Hooray! Hopefully the oaks are almost done dropping. I will make a point to check the gutters and clean them out soon.
We finally got some good rain last Tuesday. We needed it. It was pouring hard for at least a half hour right after the boys got on the bus. I would like to have been curled up in bed, but no such luck. It was kind of a cozy, snuggle-up rain. I don't suppose you have that same feeling about rain these days.
We got more rain on Saturday. Since then the temperature has dropped, and it has been quite nice, although windy. The wind chimes were so loud on Sunday when Jen was over that she shut the sliding glass door. She said she felt like she had to yell to talk to me. I was thinking about you all day today wondering how cold you have been. I heard that had some snow in New England.
The spring weather has been beautiful lately. There have been a few days (today included) when I would really like to have driven the Mustang. I'll just have to wait until you're back in the fall and make a point to drive it then.
The boys are still not getting to bed with any regularity. It would drive you crazy. There was one day last week when Ryan just didn't wake up on his own. He was completely out of it, and I felt so bad for his tired little body that I let him sleep in until 7:45am. I finally had to go in and wake him up. He was thrown off by the fact that he had slept in past the time that the bus is supposed to come. It made him a little grumpy until he discovered that I had decided that all of the boys would just be car riders that morning.
I have also not been going to bed well (big surprise!). I am not staying up past Midnight; my bedtime has been more like 11:30pm. But the six or seven hours of sleep I get each night just hasn't been enough. It is starting to wear on me. In fact, last week I had a dream where I came across an alligator snapping turtle (which didn't look like a real alligator snapping turtle--its shell was covered in fuzz...). I knew that the turtle was quick and vicious and I had to move it out of the road (I'm not sure why...). But I was simply too weak and tired to get it out my way. I wasn't just tired in my dream. I was weak and tired in real life, even though I was sleeping, and it carried over into my dream.
In fact, I have been remembering a lot of my dreams lately. Some of them are good dreams. Many of them are spurred by real-life situations. (Anne had recently told me about coming across an alligator snapping turtle in the middle the road.) I had a dream where I attended an end-of-the-year function at the elementary school. There was some drama in the dream, but what stuck out to me was the table of desserts we got to sample. One of the desserts served was pineapple upside-down cupcakes. I had recently seen a recipe for them in my recipe binder (in real life and in the dream) and was so excited to be able to try them. I woke up wanting to bake them, but have had to hold off because we still have too many sweets around the house from Easter and now Todd's birthday.
Monday was Todd's birthday. It may take me a while to get used to him being NINE years old. We celebrated yesterday and today. I will probably let him invite a friend or two to do something fun this Saturday as well. On Friday your dad took Todd and me out to dinner (Chinese) for our birthdays (even though mine is still a month away.) On Sunday we had the whole family over for cake and ice cream. Todd got a few presents from the family. Yesterday morning I let Todd open the few presents from me before breakfast. I made him orange ricotta pancakes, which he had requested the night before. And I baked chocolate chip cookies for him to share with his class at school. The boys had baseball after school and I had chorus practice tonight, so we didn't really do anything to celebrate in the evening. All in all, we kept it simple, but I think Todd was really happy with his birthday.
Baseball is still going strong. I feel like I haven't seen very much of their games. Last week I stayed home from Todd's two games in order to put Ryan to bed earlier. When your dad took us to dinner on Friday he told me that Todd had been hit by the ball during his game the night before. I asked Todd to show me. He has a huge bruise on his thigh! He never mentioned it when he came home that night. (It was so late that I had to hurry him along just to get him in bed before 10:00pm.) And he never mentioned it the next morning before school. Poor tough guy.
Last week it seemed like Copper was not keeping up with me very well on his walks. Last night was a completely different story. He was so full of energy. I asked your mom if we could give him a run yesterday evening just as it was getting dark. Copper ran harder than I have seen him run in a while. When I got back I told your mom that I was sure that he would have run away last night without that run. This morning he was in the mood to run as well. I'm glad that I was able to give him his morning roller-blading run. He had no trouble keeping up with me. Since the morning was crisp and beautiful I made sure that I went a little longer for him.
The other day I mentioned smelling the honeysuckle vines on the golf course. The flowers smelled so sweet last night that I commented on them. Todd corrected me and informed me that they were jasmine. I looked it up on Wikipedia last night. He was right, of course. And clearly I know nothing about flowers!
I am looking forward for your return for Copper's benefit possibly more than mine. We sure try to do our best with him, but it's not the same. On Sunday he did something that he hasn't done in a very long time. I had gone to Publix the day before and bought a baguette. When I came home from church all that I could find of it was the plastic bag it came in torn in pieces. He ate the entire thing. Luckily it doesn't look like it made him sick. Thank goodness he left Todd's birthday cake alone. It was cooling on a rack, covered with a dish towel.
I have been getting my fill of chick flicks while you have been gone. Lately I have been crushing on Zac Efron. Yes, he is quite young and was a star on Disney's High School Musical. But he has grown to be quite the good-looking man. I'm looking forward to seeing the latest chick flick he starred in.
Wishing you were here to hug and kiss on. Hope you're doing well.
Much love from home.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
For Brett From Home (4/15/12)
It feels like it's been a while since I let you know the goings-on in the house. Based on the list I have in front of me - a lot has been happening.
Today was Copper's birthday. We didn't get him a present. We didn't give him a walk. And we didn't pay a whole lot of extra attention to him today. This had Ryan (who was obviously very tired) crying on Copper's behalf. "It's just so sad. He didn't get any presents on his birthday!" To make matters worse, Copper has been something of a flea bag, despite my effort to treat him. I have heard this is going to be a bad flea year, and it scares me. I am going to run some errands tomorrow and hope that I find something that will give him relief. If it makes you (and Ryan) feel better, I did give Copper some frisbee-throwing time this morning.
The boys and I are faring well while you are away. I do feel a little bad for Copper though. Last Tuesday night he ran off on me again. Big time. He ran off right before I went to bed (in other words, late). I had been throwing the frisbee for him and he just disappeared after the fourth throw. I didn't see him at the door until the wee hours of the morning. That makes for a tired mommy.
I did have an interesting dream that night. I was at the grocery store with two new male acquaintances (rather good-looking men, I might add). I was walking with my arm around one of them. Then I leaned into his chest and . . . slowly inhaled. My interpretation of this dream: I miss the closeness of my Hun.
When you first left, Ryan was having a hard time settling down for sleep. He seemed more scared. He tried to lean on Copper for support. Ryan would try to call Copper into his room to sleep with him, but Copper was never interested. Ryan would end up crying. We got over that, and Ryan became content going to sleep after petting Copper good-night, as long we kept the light in the hallway on.
A few days ago I was the first one up in the morning. I went to wake up Todd for school. Then I went into Ryan's room. The room was empty. I couldn't find Ryan. I went back to Todd's room. I looked all around the house. I was starting to get nervous. I went back to my room and found Ryan asleep on the floor using Copper's dog bed as a pillow. Earlier this week Ryan crawled into bed with me after having a bad dream. He was so sweet putting his arm around me. Then, once more Ryan came in and fell asleep by Copper's bed in the wee hours. Three times in one week. Ryan doesn't act out at all during the day, and he doesn't say a whole lot about you. But I can tell that he misses having you around.
There is another thing that has concerned Ryan this week. His mother can't spread out her toes. That pinky toe of mine (and the three toes to the left of it) has no control. Ryan has tried multiple times to demonstrate how it is done. He explained that I needed to see that muscle working on the top of my foot. But no matter how much I strain, I can only make my toes curl down and back up. No sideways motion at all. I think Ryan looks at me as moderately handicapped now.
The weather has been just lovely (although my hair is telling me that it is a little humid today). I set out the hammock a few times, but haven't really had a chance to take the long hammock-nap that has been calling my name. I have been sleeping with the window open, and this morning I really noticed the birds chirping. "Pretty-bird-pretty-bird-pretty-bird" started right outside the window around 6:00am, and soon it was all a ruckus--albeit a beautiful spring ruckus. I thought about the poem I came across. It made me stop and think about the beauty around me, even in my own backyard.
One thing I haven't enjoyed this week is the dropping of the oak catkins (Thank you, Wikipedia for giving me a name to those annoying and very messy things all over my yard). Our yard is blanketed with them. Literally. They are everywhere! I can't wait for the lawn mower to be fixed some I can suck them up.
Yes, the lawn mower broke this last week. Your dad mowed our front yard and was working on the back, and it just died on him. Your dad did his best to look for the problem. He felt that it just wasn't getting any gas, even though there was plenty in the tank. After looking inside the tank and noticing some debris in the gas, he came up with a plan to take the tank apart, pick out the debris and put it all back together. I proposed a different plan--pouring the gas through a filter and into an empty gas tank. We wiped out the inside (and of course, the outside) of the tank on the mower, and poured the filtered gas back in. We were left with a clean tank, clean gas, and . . . a lawn mower no better working than when we started. I feel the pain that you experience when assisting your less-mechanically inclined family members.
I certainly appreciate all of the honey-do's you do for us. Thanks for walking me through tightening the door handle in the kitchen. I was grateful again today for you fixing my car door. I keep expecting it to be broken, and am always happily surprised when I remember you fixed it.
I still haven't seen much of Mark and Donna. Mark said that the spring breakers have been terrible. I would guess that it has been the worst year ever. Apparently the beaches have been packed. I'm glad that I haven't had to be in the middle of it all.
I had one of Sandra's mint brownies this week. It was as delicious as ever. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to ship one or five to you. I'm thinking I'll have to beg Sandra to make you a batch when you get home.
I talked to the boys last night and got them to think of some questions to ask you about the trail. I'm not going to tell you what the questions are ahead of time. They came up with some good ones and some not that great ones. I look forward to hearing your answers.
I think you'd be proud of me. I've been drinking at least 32 ounces of water every day. When I'm really trying I can drink 40 ounces in a day. Impressive, huh?
We sat in the back of the church today. I had a rough start with Ryan and felt a little frustrated soon after we sat down. I took Ryan out, talked with him and let him know he needed to change his behavior. He had already accumulated 45 minutes of no outside time when we got home. I basically told him to put on a happy face and get over it. Not that many minutes later, back in the chapel, he rested his head against my shoulder. I put my arm around him, breathed in the "my-sweet-little-boy" scent from his head, and we essentially made-up and had no more issues. I was able to enjoy the meeting. After church the bishop said that he noticed me from the stand and said that I seemed to be glowing. It was such a touching thing to say. It made me think that although things are tough sometimes without you, we're doing okay. Still I miss you and love you as ever.
Today was Copper's birthday. We didn't get him a present. We didn't give him a walk. And we didn't pay a whole lot of extra attention to him today. This had Ryan (who was obviously very tired) crying on Copper's behalf. "It's just so sad. He didn't get any presents on his birthday!" To make matters worse, Copper has been something of a flea bag, despite my effort to treat him. I have heard this is going to be a bad flea year, and it scares me. I am going to run some errands tomorrow and hope that I find something that will give him relief. If it makes you (and Ryan) feel better, I did give Copper some frisbee-throwing time this morning.
The boys and I are faring well while you are away. I do feel a little bad for Copper though. Last Tuesday night he ran off on me again. Big time. He ran off right before I went to bed (in other words, late). I had been throwing the frisbee for him and he just disappeared after the fourth throw. I didn't see him at the door until the wee hours of the morning. That makes for a tired mommy.
I did have an interesting dream that night. I was at the grocery store with two new male acquaintances (rather good-looking men, I might add). I was walking with my arm around one of them. Then I leaned into his chest and . . . slowly inhaled. My interpretation of this dream: I miss the closeness of my Hun.
When you first left, Ryan was having a hard time settling down for sleep. He seemed more scared. He tried to lean on Copper for support. Ryan would try to call Copper into his room to sleep with him, but Copper was never interested. Ryan would end up crying. We got over that, and Ryan became content going to sleep after petting Copper good-night, as long we kept the light in the hallway on.
A few days ago I was the first one up in the morning. I went to wake up Todd for school. Then I went into Ryan's room. The room was empty. I couldn't find Ryan. I went back to Todd's room. I looked all around the house. I was starting to get nervous. I went back to my room and found Ryan asleep on the floor using Copper's dog bed as a pillow. Earlier this week Ryan crawled into bed with me after having a bad dream. He was so sweet putting his arm around me. Then, once more Ryan came in and fell asleep by Copper's bed in the wee hours. Three times in one week. Ryan doesn't act out at all during the day, and he doesn't say a whole lot about you. But I can tell that he misses having you around.
There is another thing that has concerned Ryan this week. His mother can't spread out her toes. That pinky toe of mine (and the three toes to the left of it) has no control. Ryan has tried multiple times to demonstrate how it is done. He explained that I needed to see that muscle working on the top of my foot. But no matter how much I strain, I can only make my toes curl down and back up. No sideways motion at all. I think Ryan looks at me as moderately handicapped now.
The weather has been just lovely (although my hair is telling me that it is a little humid today). I set out the hammock a few times, but haven't really had a chance to take the long hammock-nap that has been calling my name. I have been sleeping with the window open, and this morning I really noticed the birds chirping. "Pretty-bird-pretty-bird-pretty-bird" started right outside the window around 6:00am, and soon it was all a ruckus--albeit a beautiful spring ruckus. I thought about the poem I came across. It made me stop and think about the beauty around me, even in my own backyard.
One thing I haven't enjoyed this week is the dropping of the oak catkins (Thank you, Wikipedia for giving me a name to those annoying and very messy things all over my yard). Our yard is blanketed with them. Literally. They are everywhere! I can't wait for the lawn mower to be fixed some I can suck them up.
Yes, the lawn mower broke this last week. Your dad mowed our front yard and was working on the back, and it just died on him. Your dad did his best to look for the problem. He felt that it just wasn't getting any gas, even though there was plenty in the tank. After looking inside the tank and noticing some debris in the gas, he came up with a plan to take the tank apart, pick out the debris and put it all back together. I proposed a different plan--pouring the gas through a filter and into an empty gas tank. We wiped out the inside (and of course, the outside) of the tank on the mower, and poured the filtered gas back in. We were left with a clean tank, clean gas, and . . . a lawn mower no better working than when we started. I feel the pain that you experience when assisting your less-mechanically inclined family members.
I certainly appreciate all of the honey-do's you do for us. Thanks for walking me through tightening the door handle in the kitchen. I was grateful again today for you fixing my car door. I keep expecting it to be broken, and am always happily surprised when I remember you fixed it.
I still haven't seen much of Mark and Donna. Mark said that the spring breakers have been terrible. I would guess that it has been the worst year ever. Apparently the beaches have been packed. I'm glad that I haven't had to be in the middle of it all.
I had one of Sandra's mint brownies this week. It was as delicious as ever. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to ship one or five to you. I'm thinking I'll have to beg Sandra to make you a batch when you get home.
I talked to the boys last night and got them to think of some questions to ask you about the trail. I'm not going to tell you what the questions are ahead of time. They came up with some good ones and some not that great ones. I look forward to hearing your answers.
I think you'd be proud of me. I've been drinking at least 32 ounces of water every day. When I'm really trying I can drink 40 ounces in a day. Impressive, huh?
We sat in the back of the church today. I had a rough start with Ryan and felt a little frustrated soon after we sat down. I took Ryan out, talked with him and let him know he needed to change his behavior. He had already accumulated 45 minutes of no outside time when we got home. I basically told him to put on a happy face and get over it. Not that many minutes later, back in the chapel, he rested his head against my shoulder. I put my arm around him, breathed in the "my-sweet-little-boy" scent from his head, and we essentially made-up and had no more issues. I was able to enjoy the meeting. After church the bishop said that he noticed me from the stand and said that I seemed to be glowing. It was such a touching thing to say. It made me think that although things are tough sometimes without you, we're doing okay. Still I miss you and love you as ever.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
For Brett, From Home (3/7/12)
It has been so nice having a little more communication with you this week. As I mentioned, I was feeling disconnected last week. It was hard not knowing the details of the life you are experiencing now. Being able to have such a nice conversation with you on Sunday really helped. Your last e-mail really topped it off, helping me feel even better. I'm sorry I wasn't very focused and had to let you off the phone quickly this afternoon. It has been a crazy day.
Today left me feeling a little stretched, and it didn't even include baseball.
12:00am - Go to bed!
6:45am - Todd's wake-up call. Time for scriptures in Mom's bed.
7:50am - Todd is still finishing last night's spelling homework (late baseball night) and hasn't eaten breakfast yet. Bagel, it is!
8:10am - Load up boys (including Logan) and drive to school
8:25am-12:00pm - Volunteer in the library (Book Fair Preview this week).
12:00am-1:00pm - Errands: bank deposit, pick up Todd's Rx, grocery store
2:30pm - Practice with Beth and Tia (as their accompanist).
3:30pm - Boys home. Empty backpacks.
4:00pm-4:40pm - Logan here for reading.
4:15pm-4:20pm - Call from you!
4:40pm-4:45pm - Another call from you!
4:45pm - Practice with Becky and Mara (as their accompanist)
5:15pm - Retrieve aerobie from tree on golf course where boys got it stuck. Bring boys home
5:45pm - Real Dinner! (beef stroganoff and roasted asparagus)
6:30pm-7:45pm - Cub Scouts for Todd. Ryan finishes homework in car. Then Mom and Ryan take Copper for walk in the neighborhood around the church.
7:50pm - Return movie.
8:15pm - Snack for boys; hurry up time for bed brush your teeth time for bed have you brushed your teeth yet are you ready for bed!? while doing dishes
8:45pm - Boys in bed. Mom time (finally).
Fortunately, not all days are like this, but some come awfully close.
As I mentioned, this past weekend was rainy. I was awakened on Saturday morning by Copper, who was crawling all over me looking for comfort during the thunderstorm. He may also have been chased up there by the boys who were unsuccessfully attempting to console him. Later that day I noticed a little scratch on my face, a battle wound from the dog pile. The rain never really let up and the boys (including Logan) were confined to the house. They had a great time playing at home. In the early afternoon they were starting to have a hard time keeping their energy in check. They set up the coffee table in the bedroom as a launch pad for the stuffed animals they were going to chuck at each other (their own version of "Angry Birds"). I'm not sure what happened, but somehow Logan fell on/knocked into/pounced on/elbowed? the coffee table, and one of the glass inserts broke. (Two honey-do's in only 2 1/2 weeks isn't bad, right?)
I had a dream about you last night. We were picking you up in Gatlinburg. You had shaved your head and had done a terrible job. There were uneven patches all over, and it looked like your hair was thinning in places (hah!). But you were in a great mood, smiling ear to ear. (Can I talk you into not totally shaving your hair when you get back? Cut, yes. Shave, no.)
I'm looking forward to going to Orlando for the Time Out for Women conference this weekend. I hope that all goes well. I'm looking forward to that spiritual, emotional, and social uplift. I reminded the boys that I was leaving tomorrow and Todd's response was, "Yay! Oma's!"
On Sunday Todd prepared a Family Home Evening lesson for us. On a sidenote we mentioned trials/problems. I reminded that boys that when they have problems, they need to turn to God in prayer. But I also told them that they also need to remember God when they don't have problems. I asked they what they could say in prayer during those times. Their answer was, "We can say, 'thank you' that we don't have any problems." I told them they could thank Heavenly Father for their blessings. A little later Todd was saying family prayer and in his prayer her thanked Heavenly Father that our family didn't have problems. On one hand it made me feel good that we are able to offer our boys a pretty good environment where they are happy, loved, and provided for (with little drama). On another hand (one that I think you will appreciate), I think having the feeling that you have no problems is a huge step towards contentment and gratitude, i.e. being happy with what you have. Isn't that what you are always preaching? Granted, Todd is still young and really doesn't have problems. But I love that he acknowledged it.
I know that your life right now is not problem-free. You must be tired and cold. But the rewards (beautiful views, camaraderie with other hikers) come precisely because you are willing to endure those hard days.
Today left me feeling a little stretched, and it didn't even include baseball.
12:00am - Go to bed!
6:45am - Todd's wake-up call. Time for scriptures in Mom's bed.
7:50am - Todd is still finishing last night's spelling homework (late baseball night) and hasn't eaten breakfast yet. Bagel, it is!
8:10am - Load up boys (including Logan) and drive to school
8:25am-12:00pm - Volunteer in the library (Book Fair Preview this week).
12:00am-1:00pm - Errands: bank deposit, pick up Todd's Rx, grocery store
2:30pm - Practice with Beth and Tia (as their accompanist).
3:30pm - Boys home. Empty backpacks.
4:00pm-4:40pm - Logan here for reading.
4:15pm-4:20pm - Call from you!
4:40pm-4:45pm - Another call from you!
4:45pm - Practice with Becky and Mara (as their accompanist)
5:15pm - Retrieve aerobie from tree on golf course where boys got it stuck. Bring boys home
5:45pm - Real Dinner! (beef stroganoff and roasted asparagus)
6:30pm-7:45pm - Cub Scouts for Todd. Ryan finishes homework in car. Then Mom and Ryan take Copper for walk in the neighborhood around the church.
7:50pm - Return movie.
8:15pm - Snack for boys; hurry up time for bed brush your teeth time for bed have you brushed your teeth yet are you ready for bed!? while doing dishes
8:45pm - Boys in bed. Mom time (finally).
Fortunately, not all days are like this, but some come awfully close.
As I mentioned, this past weekend was rainy. I was awakened on Saturday morning by Copper, who was crawling all over me looking for comfort during the thunderstorm. He may also have been chased up there by the boys who were unsuccessfully attempting to console him. Later that day I noticed a little scratch on my face, a battle wound from the dog pile. The rain never really let up and the boys (including Logan) were confined to the house. They had a great time playing at home. In the early afternoon they were starting to have a hard time keeping their energy in check. They set up the coffee table in the bedroom as a launch pad for the stuffed animals they were going to chuck at each other (their own version of "Angry Birds"). I'm not sure what happened, but somehow Logan fell on/knocked into/pounced on/elbowed? the coffee table, and one of the glass inserts broke. (Two honey-do's in only 2 1/2 weeks isn't bad, right?)
I had a dream about you last night. We were picking you up in Gatlinburg. You had shaved your head and had done a terrible job. There were uneven patches all over, and it looked like your hair was thinning in places (hah!). But you were in a great mood, smiling ear to ear. (Can I talk you into not totally shaving your hair when you get back? Cut, yes. Shave, no.)
I'm looking forward to going to Orlando for the Time Out for Women conference this weekend. I hope that all goes well. I'm looking forward to that spiritual, emotional, and social uplift. I reminded the boys that I was leaving tomorrow and Todd's response was, "Yay! Oma's!"
On Sunday Todd prepared a Family Home Evening lesson for us. On a sidenote we mentioned trials/problems. I reminded that boys that when they have problems, they need to turn to God in prayer. But I also told them that they also need to remember God when they don't have problems. I asked they what they could say in prayer during those times. Their answer was, "We can say, 'thank you' that we don't have any problems." I told them they could thank Heavenly Father for their blessings. A little later Todd was saying family prayer and in his prayer her thanked Heavenly Father that our family didn't have problems. On one hand it made me feel good that we are able to offer our boys a pretty good environment where they are happy, loved, and provided for (with little drama). On another hand (one that I think you will appreciate), I think having the feeling that you have no problems is a huge step towards contentment and gratitude, i.e. being happy with what you have. Isn't that what you are always preaching? Granted, Todd is still young and really doesn't have problems. But I love that he acknowledged it.
I know that your life right now is not problem-free. You must be tired and cold. But the rewards (beautiful views, camaraderie with other hikers) come precisely because you are willing to endure those hard days.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Fast! Go, Joe!
In the moments before I fall asleep I often pester Brett with some of the most random thoughts. A few nights ago, after getting up to put medicated chest rub on my coughing son I came back and asked Brett:
Me: Do you know what I love? . . . Fast Orange (which I sometimes refer to as "Agent Orange"). It is so great for cleaning hands. It worked great getting that slimy lotion off. Do you think the average Joe knows about Fast Orange?
Brett: I don't know.
Me: When did you discover Fast Orange?
Brett: Like when I was 14.
Me: I mean, it's great for washing your hands after gardening, and getting greasy things off . . .
Brett: Well, that's what it's marketed for. But Fast Orange isn't the only stuff out there.
By now I have started drifting back to sleep and am already in a car with my driver. Suddenly the driver hears someone call out, "Go, Joe!" He quickly opens the car door and rolls out in a very James-Bond-like maneuver.
Brett: GoJo.
Me: Huh?
Brett: GoJo. That's another big name.
Me: Weird.
Half-asleep or not, I love Fast Orange and am thankful to my husband for introducing it to me.
Me: Do you know what I love? . . . Fast Orange (which I sometimes refer to as "Agent Orange"). It is so great for cleaning hands. It worked great getting that slimy lotion off. Do you think the average Joe knows about Fast Orange?
Brett: I don't know.
Me: When did you discover Fast Orange?
Brett: Like when I was 14.
Me: I mean, it's great for washing your hands after gardening, and getting greasy things off . . .
Brett: Well, that's what it's marketed for. But Fast Orange isn't the only stuff out there.
By now I have started drifting back to sleep and am already in a car with my driver. Suddenly the driver hears someone call out, "Go, Joe!" He quickly opens the car door and rolls out in a very James-Bond-like maneuver.
Brett: GoJo.
Me: Huh?
Brett: GoJo. That's another big name.
Me: Weird.
Half-asleep or not, I love Fast Orange and am thankful to my husband for introducing it to me.
Friday, January 15, 2010
A Dream
I woke up this morning feeling a little . . . dissatisfied. I hate it when my dreams spill over into the reality of my mornings. In my dream I had just gotten back a test a taken for a class. I should have been happy with my score: a 100%. The only problem is that as I reviewed the test I noticed that the teacher had marked a few problems wrong. There were about four little stupid mistakes that I had made. Yet, although the teacher recognized these errors, he still gave me full credit. This frustrated me. Don't call my paper "perfect" when it clearly doesn't live up to that label. You're not doing me any favors.
There must be a moral to this story seeing how it bothered me so much, but I'm still trying to figure out what that is.
There must be a moral to this story seeing how it bothered me so much, but I'm still trying to figure out what that is.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ryan's Good Dream
I know I've been talking about dreams quite a bit, but there's another dream from this morning that I had to share. Ryan shared it with us as I was making Todd's bed.
"Oh, Mom. I had a good dream last night. Sandy was alive. We were in the new house that I drew in the computer room. Not our old house, but a new house with two spots. One for both of them [Sandy and Copper]. And Todd saw Sandy and said, 'That's not Sandy,' because he didn't know that she was alive, but she was!"
Yes, Ryan, that was a good dream.
Ryan has not been having a hard time dealing with Sandy's death, but he certainly has been thinking about it more than Todd. He often brings up the fact that he misses Sandy and that he wishes she was still alive.
Sandy was a good dog.
"Oh, Mom. I had a good dream last night. Sandy was alive. We were in the new house that I drew in the computer room. Not our old house, but a new house with two spots. One for both of them [Sandy and Copper]. And Todd saw Sandy and said, 'That's not Sandy,' because he didn't know that she was alive, but she was!"
Yes, Ryan, that was a good dream.
Ryan has not been having a hard time dealing with Sandy's death, but he certainly has been thinking about it more than Todd. He often brings up the fact that he misses Sandy and that he wishes she was still alive.
Sandy was a good dog.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Dreams and Storytelling
I recently posted about some of my dreams. I had more since then, of course, but what I enjoyed this morning was hearing about Ryan's dream. He will often tell us (Todd and myself) about a dream he had the previously night while we are eating breakfast. This morning Ryan shared his dream from last night.
He said the he and his cousin Kellie were driving a golf cart. A car sped by and they jumped off into a leaf pile, and after the car passed they popped their heads out. But they didn't get run over. And, they had said, "Don't let Casie in!"
I love hearing Ryan share his dreams with us. After talking about dreams earlier this week I find it interesting that Ryan frequently tells me about a dream he had--once, twice, or three times a week--but I almost never hear about any dreams Todd had. What I do hear from Todd is him trying to embellish Ryan's dreams. Todd understands that dreams are not real, so after Ryan tells us his dream Todd will try to finish out his own version of the "story" Ryan started.
He said the he and his cousin Kellie were driving a golf cart. A car sped by and they jumped off into a leaf pile, and after the car passed they popped their heads out. But they didn't get run over. And, they had said, "Don't let Casie in!"
I love hearing Ryan share his dreams with us. After talking about dreams earlier this week I find it interesting that Ryan frequently tells me about a dream he had--once, twice, or three times a week--but I almost never hear about any dreams Todd had. What I do hear from Todd is him trying to embellish Ryan's dreams. Todd understands that dreams are not real, so after Ryan tells us his dream Todd will try to finish out his own version of the "story" Ryan started.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Three Dreams
I was really tired last night, proven by the fact that I was in bed (asleep) by 9:45pm. Often, when I go to sleep earlier than usual, I end up having a more restless sleep with lots of dreams. Last night was no exception. I often remember my dreams. Too bad that they're really not that interesting. In fact, they are so realistic that they are tedious.
Dream One: I woke up in the morning and realized that it was already Saturday and I had forgotten to call the pediatrician and get a refill for Todd's breathing medicine. [I was relieved when I really woke up and found out that it is Friday, and I can still call the pediatrician as planned.]
Dream Two: I was so tired (in my dream and in real life). It was evening and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Unfortunately, because it was Saturday night I had to stay up and prepare for the lesson that I am giving in Church Sunday morning. [I was relieved when I woke up and found out that it is Friday morning, and I still have a day and a half to prepare my lesson. However, I did commit to start planning today so I don't have to live out this dream in reality.]
Dream Three: It was about 5:00pm one evening. Brett suggested we go canoeing. I thought he was crazy, but went along with it since I want to take advantage of the times Brett suggests fun family activities (like camping in the freezing cold!). By the time we got to the canoe rental it was starting to get darker. The guy at the shop was a grump and we were having a hard time getting organized. I really needed to go to the bathroom, so I left Brett to deal with things. I ran into a mom from church and a fellow playgroup mom in the bathroom. (I still can't figure out how they knew each other.) The playgroup mom was washing out her son's stuffed animal in the sink. Evidently it fell overboard and got all muddy. Their group was obviously just returning from a canoe trip. After talking with them for a few minutes, I went back outside. It was now pitch black outside, and I basically told Brett that this was a terrible idea. I suggested we give it up and head back home. [When I heard Brett stirring beside me, about to get up, I made sure to tell him that deciding to go canoeing at 5:00 at night was a terrible idea. I love making out-of-the-blue comments like that after one of dreams involving Brett. He is a good sport. Today he responded with something like, "Well, I had to go pick up the canoe and it took some time to get everything together."]
This last dream was one of my "bizarre" dreams. Brett's "bizarre" dreams usually involve aliens or super-heroes or other unrealistic scenarios. I'm always curious about Brett's dreams. More so, because he almost never remembers them. They're gone about five seconds after he wakes up.
The problem with realistic dreams is that I often feel like I was awake all night taking care of errands (and organizing canoe trips?!). I wake up feeling almost as tired as when I went to sleep.
Here's a question for you: are your dreams of the tedious, realistic variety or the interesting, bizarre variety?
Post Script: After I wrote this post, I took a shower. As I was exfoliating my heels with my pumice stone (TMI?) I remembered another dream I had last night. My mother-in-law gave some salon gift certificates to the girls in the family. Donna had already opened hers and had received a gift certificate to have her hair done, I think. I was looking forward to what my gift certificate would be. I wasn't too happy when I opened it and saw that my certificate was for a pedicure. Because my feet are in such bad shape, the thought of someone else seeing (and touching) them up close kind of freaks me out. I got over my fear and started looking forward to having pretty feet, to the point that I was already thinking about polish colors. [When I remembered my dream in the shower, I was disappointed to realize that I would not be getting a pedicure anytime soon.]
Dream One: I woke up in the morning and realized that it was already Saturday and I had forgotten to call the pediatrician and get a refill for Todd's breathing medicine. [I was relieved when I really woke up and found out that it is Friday, and I can still call the pediatrician as planned.]
Dream Two: I was so tired (in my dream and in real life). It was evening and all I wanted to do was go to bed. Unfortunately, because it was Saturday night I had to stay up and prepare for the lesson that I am giving in Church Sunday morning. [I was relieved when I woke up and found out that it is Friday morning, and I still have a day and a half to prepare my lesson. However, I did commit to start planning today so I don't have to live out this dream in reality.]
Dream Three: It was about 5:00pm one evening. Brett suggested we go canoeing. I thought he was crazy, but went along with it since I want to take advantage of the times Brett suggests fun family activities (like camping in the freezing cold!). By the time we got to the canoe rental it was starting to get darker. The guy at the shop was a grump and we were having a hard time getting organized. I really needed to go to the bathroom, so I left Brett to deal with things. I ran into a mom from church and a fellow playgroup mom in the bathroom. (I still can't figure out how they knew each other.) The playgroup mom was washing out her son's stuffed animal in the sink. Evidently it fell overboard and got all muddy. Their group was obviously just returning from a canoe trip. After talking with them for a few minutes, I went back outside. It was now pitch black outside, and I basically told Brett that this was a terrible idea. I suggested we give it up and head back home. [When I heard Brett stirring beside me, about to get up, I made sure to tell him that deciding to go canoeing at 5:00 at night was a terrible idea. I love making out-of-the-blue comments like that after one of dreams involving Brett. He is a good sport. Today he responded with something like, "Well, I had to go pick up the canoe and it took some time to get everything together."]
This last dream was one of my "bizarre" dreams. Brett's "bizarre" dreams usually involve aliens or super-heroes or other unrealistic scenarios. I'm always curious about Brett's dreams. More so, because he almost never remembers them. They're gone about five seconds after he wakes up.
The problem with realistic dreams is that I often feel like I was awake all night taking care of errands (and organizing canoe trips?!). I wake up feeling almost as tired as when I went to sleep.
Here's a question for you: are your dreams of the tedious, realistic variety or the interesting, bizarre variety?
Post Script: After I wrote this post, I took a shower. As I was exfoliating my heels with my pumice stone (TMI?) I remembered another dream I had last night. My mother-in-law gave some salon gift certificates to the girls in the family. Donna had already opened hers and had received a gift certificate to have her hair done, I think. I was looking forward to what my gift certificate would be. I wasn't too happy when I opened it and saw that my certificate was for a pedicure. Because my feet are in such bad shape, the thought of someone else seeing (and touching) them up close kind of freaks me out. I got over my fear and started looking forward to having pretty feet, to the point that I was already thinking about polish colors. [When I remembered my dream in the shower, I was disappointed to realize that I would not be getting a pedicure anytime soon.]
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