FIRST MAY MONDAY
In life we learn we can only do so much until we are unable to do much more. We make do with the situation give to us and do the best we can though the best is almost always never as good as we think it should be. Such was the case today when faced with a house still in the midst of chaos and going nowhere close to organised any time soon.
Leaving work early to pick up the children from school, I got a phone call on the way from the Maytag repairman letting me know he could not make it today since I was his last appointment and he did not feel like waiting the three hours until the agreed upon time. I told him I was on my way to pick up the children from school but could make it home two hours before my appointment time. The repairman let me know the earlier time was not good enough so he rescheduled for tomorrow after 16,00h. There was nothing I could do about this so I went about my day.
Waiting in line for child pickup, I heard someone call my name. I turned around and noticed my daughters’ kindergarten teacher from the old school they attended. She inquired about my children’s progress and I let her know all was good. I left out the part about the divorce as we were speaking whilst sitting in our cars with another row of cars in between us. I doubt she would be surprised though. I asked for my spice girls and boy when the man with the hand radio came by inquiring about the children I was picking up.
The only reason I went to pick up the children with the minivan instead of having parked it at home and walked to school was due to our having to go buy water at Costco. Tomorrow I will take the time to walk home with the children. The three were happy to see me as I was happy to see them. When we returned home from our quick shopping trip, the children ran upstairs to see their rooms. They were delighted the beds were set up albeit nothing else was ready today. It would have to do.
They changed and I sent them outside whilst I checked on the Internet connection. The cable company had come by earlier today to turn on the connection but my Internet was still not functioning. On the phone once again, I ended up getting an appointment for tomorrow at the same time the Maytag repairman was to arrive. This will be fun, I thought. Meanwhile, I had to look through boxes to find bowls for dinner, get a snack for the children, and make dinner without having a table on which to put the bowls.
A compromise was in order as I found the picnic blanket and handed it to my oldest child for her to place on the grass. It would be a dinner outside with company. The company of mosquitos hovering mostly around my boy. I noticed one on his forehead and promptly smacked it dead. The children enjoyed parpadelle pasta with feta and parmesan. The boy wanted Urfa chilies as well but noted more spiciness than usual. Despite the extra chilies, he finished his meal.
With the boy in one room and the girls in another, the new bedtime routine consisted of reading two stories. I read ‘The Happy Lion’ to Sage, tucked him in bed, and kissed him goodnight. When I walked into the girls’ room, Saffron wanted to read her Anna & Elsa book. She read chapter 5 of the Memory and Magic book I bought her last time she stayed with me. Cinnamon had fallen before her sister reached the end of the chapter. I kissed them both goodnight and ended my evening with a long Skype conversation on my iPhone with my boyfriend. In life, we find nothing is perfect. As such, we do the best we can under the circumstances and believe everything will work out in the end.
