We have had a really pleasant day. I
was ready for it. Seems like I spent all last weekend in the car, and all last
week at work trying to get caught up. Vacations are stressful, in their own
way. If I had the money we would take two weeks. That’s more restful. Also more
expensive.
I usually hate going to the grocery
store. It had become a crashing bore, before vacation. Today, not so much. It was nice to be back in a store where I know where
everything is, and what they carry. I was able to get some Real Limemade, which
is my favorite summertime treat.
We went out to lunch at a Mexican
restaurant near the house, one we hadn’t tried before. The food was excellent.
We were impressed. Mother and Michael pigged out on the fresh guacamole. I just
had tacos but they were terrific. Our favorite other restaurants have both
closed in the last 6 months, the latest one we just noticed today, which was
really depressing.
We are supposed to be coming out of the recession, but I still see people around me losing their jobs, businesses closing their doors, and other problems. Just today I talked to a friend who has been out of work so long she has had to take work as a maid just to keep her family together. She is a single mom and has two children to support.
I want to be optimistic about the country, but it's very difficult. I feel somewhat like singing the song from The King and I - "whenever I feel afraid, I whistle a happy tune..."
The kids and I went to see the new
Night At The Museum. This one is set at the Smithsonian. We loved the
first one. This one, not so much. It wasn’t as funny or as fast-paced. Even Amy
Adams and Robin Williams, two really interesting actors, couldn’t save it. (I
wanted to go see Angels and Demons but I was out-voted. Maybe next weekend.) The
kids declared they loved night at the Museum, BTW.
I have a list of things I needed to
do today that didn’t get done, but I don’t care.
You ever have a moment when you try and stop for a moment and savor life? I don’t have many of those moments because, well, life is really hectic, but I had such a brief spell today when life was sublime. After the movie the kids and I were in the car, and we had the windows down, and we drove for about 5 minutes to get to the Quik Trip. The sky was an amazing deep blue, dotted with fluffy white clouds, and the sun was shining. The air was not too hot – about 80 – and we were listening to “On Broadway,” sung by the wonderful George Benson. We weren’t talking. I took a little time to savor that feeling. In a few years the kids will be grown – Alesia is mostly grown now – and I am so glad I was able to enjoy that time, just enjoying the beautiful sky and the feel of the wind, and my kids contentment, because we were together and it was a beautiful day.
Nice to know there are beautiful views at the beach, like below, but there are also great views at home.
