Quote for the day
“You can tell whether a man is clever by his answers. You can tell whether a man is wise by his questions.”
Naguib Mahfouz (Nobel Prize Winner)
Nature/nurture/huh?
I know NOTHING about the whole nature/nurture debate. All I know is this… I have three daughters, and they are all so DIFFERENT! They’re being raised by the same Mommy and Daddy, and yeah, you can find the similarities, but mostly I see the differences.
Take this one example… I step off the bus after work, and it is always Julie who rushes down the street and throws her arms around me before I can make it halfway home – every day. She has always been the one to attach herself to me – she sits on my lap as much as she can, she wants me to sleep with her, etc., etc. Maddie, on the other hand, hardly notices whether or not I’m around. I come home from two days in Toronto, she briefly glances in my direction, and then carries on with what she was doing. I’m sure she’s happy to have me home, and she likes hanging out with me, but it doesn’t make a whole lot of difference to her either way. Nikki is somewhere in between. She needs me, but she’s quite happy to be apart from me too. She’s always been more of the “check in” type – she shows up now and then to get a little affection and Mommy time, and then disappears again.
Whatever the case, I’m crazy about all of them and lucky to be their Mommy.
Home again, home again, jiggity jog
I got back from Toronto late last night. I just have to say… if you’re ever looking for a place to lay your weary head in downtown Toronto, check out Mulberry Tree Bed and Breakfast. It is delightful! It’s in a hundred year old house, with lots of antique furniture and artifacts from all over the world. I had a wonderful night in the Ochre Room – comfy and relaxing and so much better than all those cookie-cutter hotels I usually stay in!
And if you take my advice and end up there, be sure to check out Spring Rolls just around the corner on Yonge Street. Very yummy Pad Thai, topped off with deep-fried bananas and coconut ice cream for dessert! To die for! (Though, I have to admit, the walk back to the B&B was a little uncomfortable, ’cause my stomach was complaining about the way I’d abused it with shameless over-consumption.)
I don’t know why it has never occurred to me before (duh! I’m a slow learner!), but since I travel a fair bit, I should start looking for more B&B’s instead of just your run-o’-the-mill hotel chain. So if anyone has suggestions for interesting B&B’s in Canadian cities, I’m listening…
Note: I have received no remuneration for advertising on this site, but if anyone WANTS to give me money, feel free 🙂
Jesus on a bike
Julie was getting a little frustrated with her umpteenth attempt at learning to ride a bike. In an attempt to console her, I told her EVERYbody has trouble learning to ride at the beginning. “Even Jesus?” she asked. “Yes,” I said, “if bikes had been around in Jesus’ time, I’m sure he would have had trouble too.”
It painted a nice picture – put it all into perspective for awhile. Mary trying REALLY hard not to get frustrated as Jesus made yet another attempt at riding his two-wheeler. Jesus blowing up occasionally, when Mary gave unsolicited advice yet again. “Try it THIS way, son.” “But I don’t WANT to try it that way! I’ll try it my OWN way!” “But it works better if you keep your eyes OFF your feet and focus on the road ahead of you.” “Mom! I’ll do it MYSELF!”
It turned out to be a fruitful exercise this afternoon – Julie can now ride her bike! But in order for her to learn, I had to learn a little mommy-lesson first. I had to let go, and let her try it HER way. We have the same nature, her and I. We’re both quite convinced OUR way is the RIGHT way. So, needless to say, we often butt heads when I’m trying to help her learn something. Well, this time, she was quite determined to learn without my help, and for a change, I backed off and let her, even when I was convinced she’d have more success MY way. We agreed to try it my way for 5 attempts, but after that failed, she went back to her way, and, of course, that’s the way she finally succeeded. I celebrated both her victory and mine (as I ate a small slice of humble pie 🙂
You should see my “Julie learned to ride a bike” dance! It puts Michael Jackson’s moon dance to shame!
It’s amazing what a little nice weather can do
This morning I was feeling really blue. I’m not sure why, but I just felt stuck in a serious state of inertia. It felt like NOTHING in my life was moving along – I was stuck in a rut everywhere. At work I have way too many big projects looming over my head, and, since “beginnings” are the hardest part, and they’re all kinda overwhelming me, I’m just spinning my wheels and accomplishing nothing. At home, I’m behind in everything. The laundry has gotten out of control again, every room in the house needs some serious Spring cleaning, I haven’t done our taxes yet and the deadline is in sight, the yard work needs to be done, and now that it’s getting nicer out, I’m reminded that I only painted HALF of the exterior of the house last year so the other half needs to be done. I could go on and on… I’m not getting a handle on this overeating thing like I’d hoped I would, etc., etc.
Well, this morning I felt like all I wanted to do today was spend the day in bed. Given the fact that I had to play “Mommy-chauffeur” most of the day, though, didn’t allow me that opportunity. So I got moving, and only had the luxury of a short nap while the oldest two were at a birthday party and Maddie napped. After that, though, I finally got enough energy to clean the living room, and then headed outside for some fresh air – first taking Maddie on the tricycle, and then going for a bike ride with Nikki.
The fresh air and exercise did me WONDERS, and now my perspective on life is getting a whole lot better. Sure I’m behind on stuff, but it’s not the end of the world. The sun is shining, I can wear sandals outside (yippee!), I have a fun (and short, thankfully) business trip coming up which will give me a nice opportunity to regroup while I spend a quiet evening in what looks like a lovely Bed and Breakfast, and at least my living room is clean! Life is pretty good after all.
Sanctuary
You open the door and the sounds of classical music greet you. Mingled with that are the warm muted tones of a myriad of voices – booklovers and café visitors – reverberating gently from the book-covered walls. A sigh escapes your lips as the aura wafts over you. You slip inside the room like a foot into an old slipper. Books stand sentry at the door – some familiar and comfortable, others new and intriguing. You pick one up and flip through the pages. The feel of the book in your hand awakens a piece of you that you hadn’t noticed had fallen asleep.
You walk past the stairway winding around Christopher Robin’s tree. You touch the rich wood of a bookshelf – it grounds you like a touchstone. You pick up a few books and find an empty chair – a big soft one in a quiet alcove. You curl up in the worn chair and let the tension in your muscles slowly drift away. You open the book on your lap and lose yourself in the pages.
You have found it. Sanctuary.
Yes, I got to enjoy a beautiful, uninterrupted, unencumbered hour at my favourite bookstore last night. (No, it wasn’t the same bookstore that contributed to my faith crisis a few months ago. This one is SO much better.) Those hours are few and far between, so when they come, I savour them like expensive chocolate. And when I left the store at closing time, I carried a book home with me and continued to relish it, curled up in my bed.
And what did I take home? Well, last night I needed an old friend in comfortable clothing, so I took home Anne Lamott. She’s writing about faith again, and that’s JUST what I needed. She’s like an old friend, and there are few people I’d rather curl up in bed with than Anne. She didn’t disappoint either. I didn’t get too far into it before my eyes refused to stay open, but I enjoyed the first couple of chapters. I fell asleep, peaceful and inspired. She lifted me up above the din.