ODE TO A NORMAL DAY

  

This passage from St. Augustine’s Confessions
has been my lifelong mantra:
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and
OUR HEART IS RESTLESS UNTIL IT RESTS IN YOU.”

I have always had a restless soul.  

  The problem with high points of happiness

 in your life....
is that you cannot sustain that intense joy…

you have to eventually start sliding down

a lesser state of living…

tempered by dirty diapers

and piles of laundry

 and dusty house

 and sticky fingers 

and whining voices 
that snag your sanity.

       I had a plaque inscribed
 with this poignant prayer---

hanging in the kitchen

where I needed to read it 
EVERY DAY!

 

I can still feel my eyes and my heart 
yearning over the words,

as I would get ready 
for the “tedium” of my normal day,

in the kitchen 
where most “normal” activities swirl……

where the same breakfasts are slurped down

(my kids naturally
had their own separate 

“favorite cereal”)…….

where the same lunches were packed 

(for my son Matt who ate

peanut butter and honey sandwiches 

for lunch through third grade!).

where the same suppers

were complained about:
<<<"tuna fish, again!">>>

       It was all the darn sameness 
of these so-called normal days
 which annoyed me. 

   I kept feeling

the poignant whooshing of time, 
as the adorable infants 
changed to challenging toddlers
 to noisy school age creatures 
 to (oh, the horror)
 tempestuous opinionated teens!

       I simultaneously wanted 
to SLOW DOWN time,
 to savor the glory moments,
 yet also SPEED UP time 
to a more interesting time of day
….or time of my life. 

       I was often the Queen of Quandaries! 
So my sweet little plaque 
grounded and comforted me.

      

       And now I’ve been granted my wish 
for an interesting time of life:

RETIREMENT! 

(Here's What Retirement Sounds Like)

Hint to my dear readers--

you need to click on this web link and listen)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsBByTiKfyY

       Now every “Normal Day” 
is fluid and easygoing, 
in these retirement years…..
days and hours to be savored 
brunches and lunches with friends...
time to read and write and
 play computer scrabble
…..but all now MY CHOICE.

       And every “Normal Day”
 has become 

both special

--> …..and a tiny bit frightening!

-->