This weekend has been really busy on multiple levels. I have been cleaning pavers with a power washer (called a gurney in Australia). As it hasn't been done foe, well forever, the tiles are thick with mould and dirt and grime. Pretty much, difficult to shift accumulated mess from three years of rain and several years of drought before that. It has been hard work. I go until my arms shake and my hands can't grip anymore. Then start it back up again in the morning. But not anymore. I am finished. Initially I started with the Bear's gurney that ran off 240 volts, but it wasn't even close to strong enough. Then Pete brought over his mother of all gurneys. It runs off a 50HP petrol motor and is so strong the kids can't hold it. I can't hold it one handed and it feels like fire truck pressure. Last weekend I lost control of it. Only once. The water created what looked like a burn across my foot in a welt that I am only just losing a week later. This is no sissy water pressure. But I am done and hopefully it will last a little while. I wanted to 'git er done' before Levi's party in two weeks.
The best thing about the weekend was Motherhood the Musical. It was fabulous. They had something that every mother could relate to at some stage in their parenting. Levi was over at Ty's and went to sleep very very late. This morning he slept through swimming practice.......Again!! I think that I need to re look at this 7.30am thing in the winter. So we went grocery shopping, we watched movies and then I went out to wash pavers. Tonight he is in there cough cough coughing, so perhaps the sleep in and snugly day has more to do with that than the late night.
We didn't go to 'Eggs" again today. I have trouble with Eggs. It is the Sunday night get together that is compulsory for our family on Sunday night. Now my first off objection is that it is Sunday night, normally around 6pm. Levi goes to bed at 7pm. So already there is a problem. There is no chance in hell that he will get to bed on time on the most important night of the week. I think it's fine for the older kids but he is still little. My other problem is that it is every freaking week! I mean once a month we would all make an effort and go but every week it is just an enormous drain. I think it is really for Jo and likely will quickly revert to monthly (or event driven) when she stops being so adamant about it. It becomes a test of love every week, and I fail so regularly it is becoming habit.
I think most people miss the point of real love. I probably do too, miss the point I mean. But I think that real love is about being happy that the person you love is happy. If you can't provide that somehow, I just think it's fine to be OK if someone else can. I think that Bruno Mars misses the point in Grenade. Catching a grenade for someone, that is the easy bit. Dying for someone, that is the easy job. I think giving someone up, can mean real love. I think that living on after someone you love dies, that is the hardest role of all. But perhaps I just don't really understand jealousy and ownership between people. I am happy that I don't really understand. I am happier believing that parents don't own their children and spouses don't own each other. That is what I will teach Levi. I will teach him to get together with his family because he wants to, not because he has to.
I completely agree with you ~ if you get together with family (or whoever) because you have to or else you get into some kind of trouble, then it's not love, it's obligation. And while there are times when a person needs to fulfill obligations, family get-togethers shouldn't fall into that category. Considering Levi's bedtime and the importance of him getting the sleep he needs, I would think your mother would exempt you from the mandatory dinners anyhow, at least while Levi is young. I'm sorry you have to deal with that garbage.
ReplyDeleteGood job getting the stones all power-washed ~ that looked like a substantial job!