Monday, February 22, 2021

Life Sentences

William has turned 10. I had birthday cake with them, the first bite of sugary dessert I've had in two weeks. I look at him wistfully. He's the same little boy that I held on my lap, watching him sleep as we watched an episode of Peter Rabbit and Friends, and the closing song always made me teary (I am a terrible sap)

The rain has moved on
And left a new day
Nothing seems to move everything is still
It's just a perfect day

The shadows and light
That move with the wind
Hidden violets grow splashed with summer spray
Just another perfect day

On the wild and misty hillside
Fear is nature's warning
Hunger here is never far away

And all of this world
Is for children who play
Days that never end always should remain
Another perfect day

Even as I held that precious bundle of sweetness close, I knew he would grow up, and that all days end, and not all days are perfect. Now he is 10. Beautiful still, lively, an inquiring mind, caught up in careful cartooning of aliens and nuclear power plants, interested in MineCraft and Roblox and Legos. Still precious to me, but a much taller bundle of sweetness who is, admittedly, not always so sweet. Strange to think of him halfway to being a man. 

On the front page of the newspaper was the face of an acquaintance who has made (and given away) 4500 masks since the beginning of covid. Mr. Rogers' mother always told him that during hard times, he should look, that he would always find the helpers. This is true. I saw her first thing this morning. 

In the same paper, I saw an obituary that brought tears to my eyes. There lives a genial lady who lives in a carefully decorated house, who loves Anne of Green Gables, who talks of kindred spirits, and delights when she finds them. She writes to nursing home residents every week, handwritten notes, a touch of familiarity for the recipients, but something novel in today's world of e-mails and text messages. And now her husband has died. I know that she is devastated.

I spent Friday morning chopping ham and vegetables and measuring out beans for the first of the soup kits for the food pantry. During the last zoom meeting, I noticed a woman who seemed adrift and disconnected. I thought to ask her to help me chop and package, and she agreed right away. I am a self conscious person and talking is hard for me, but I can turn into quite a blabber mouth when my hands are busy. I was delighted that she is the same sort of person, and we chattered and laughed the entire time we worked. It was wonderfully refreshing. 

I had a vision of $5. per family meals, and I must admit that with the first recipe, we did not meet that goal. Things came to $5.22 per kit. We will distribute for the first time on Wednesday, and I am eager to see how this shakes out. It will either fail, or it will not fail. 

Speaking of two weeks, I've been focused on careful eating and counting calories, and cutting out all snacks. I drink water steadily through out the day. I keep my calories below 1200 a day. I set a reasonable goal of two pounds a week for myself, with a mind to reaching the first milestone by my birthday, the second milestone by Labor Day. For the second week I have lost that 2 lbs. 

Once again, it is snowing, but later in the week, we are supposed to reach 47 degrees. 47! 

Life is not always perfect, but it is filled with perfect moments, isn't it?

14 comments:

  1. Have you seen Peter The Rabbit film? Think it's on Netflix? I use to love watching Anne Of Green gables too and Little House On The Praerie.

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  2. I know the temps here are around 40 degrees because it takes about a half gallon of windshield washer fluid just to get across town and back.

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  3. I have, Northsider, but am not much of a fan. It's loud and crazy and all of the things that Beatrix Potter's gentle little stories weren't. I also loved Anne of Green Gables, but when I was young enough, of course, there was no television series yet. I read the books, over and over again, and when I watched the series later with my own children, I loved it. Fast forward. There comes 'Anne with an E'. I was excited to watch it. Oh dear. They've thoroughly modernized her. When she complained about the unfairness of menstruation, I'd had enough. The Little House stories are wonderful. If you want another vision of the life of Laura Ingalls, there is this: https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-Biography-Nonfiction/dp/0060885521

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  4. LOL Ed. Here it is snowing. And gray.

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  5. Happy birthday to William. Time flies, doesn't it? I think $5.22 is pretty darn close to your goal -- close enough to count! (Though if you're making a lot of kits I can see how that 22 cents adds up!)

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  6. You are close enough to the $5--wow! I find that doing something while chatting is much less awkward than just sitting looking at one another. Great job on the new eating regime. (I refuse to call it a diet)

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  7. Life is not always perfect, but my word, it is better than the alternative!

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  8. We are currently reading Anne of Green Gables. I too was not a fan of the Anne with an E series.

    Congratulations on the loss!

    Nice to meet new acquaintances while hands are busy.

    Here it is nearing 40 degrees too - but the other sort.

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  9. It will be very interesting to learn how the parcelled meals work out in practice.

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  10. Numbers: $5.22 rounds down to $5 so goal achieved. 1200 kcal is too low, in my opinion (as co-author of a nutrition text many years ago). Even for a woman, of any size, 1500 is more sensible. (But hey, mind my own business eh?). And I do recall how quickly 1 year becomes 10, then 20, and now, for my "little" ones 34 and 33. So my own number is stacking up a bit too. I am rather surprised I am still going. Take care.

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  11. I haven't read the one you linked but I have read Prairie Fires which is a biography on Laura Ingalls Wilder. It certainly was eye opening for the young boy in me who read all the books and saw a fair number of the television episodes when over at friend's houses.

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  12. Won't that that warm sunshine feel fine!
    You are on the right path to meet those weight goals. Keep it up.

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  13. I enjoyed this post a lot, Debby. I can relate to you looking back on William as Kyle will turn 12 next month and I am taking a lot of trips down memory lane. Good luck with the family meals and great news that you diet is going well. Take care.

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  14. I think your meal kit rounds down to $5 quite nicely. :)

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