The day started with coffee and a treat with a homeschooling friend, followed by morning martial arts class. Middle and I had a good workout and also learned something called a 15 Lock Drill where we used pressure points and joint manipulation on the arms, wrists and fingers in 15 different ways, some more creative (and more painful) than others. I'm happy to report that he's been gung-ho to practice this new skill every chance he gets. "Grab my arm, mom." Sigh. The good news is that when you don't push these techniques all the way to the point of real pain, it gives everything a great stretch.
As we crossed the creek on the way home, it hit me that it was a beautiful day and I had really wanted to spend it on the water. My Craigslist kayak deal had fallen through, and I felt a pang of sadness that today would not be the day to put my new kayak in the water as I had originally planned.
I remembered that a good homeschooling / martial arts friend who lives across the creek from me had offered the use of her 3 kayaks whenever we wanted to use them. I called her.
Not only was she willing to loan them, she drove us up the road a ways to a good put-in and we spent the next 90 minutes or so exploring the Conodoguinet as we traveled back to her house.
I came home On Top Of the World. Did some tidying up, flushed the toilet in the boys' bathroom (because they're always forgetting) and took a minute to check some stuff on the computer. Took an online punch to the chest* and watched as yucky water poured out of the light fixture above the kitchen sink at the exact same moment. Scrambled to deal with both. Shit happens.
Regrouped and headed back to the dojang for two more hours of class and kickboxing.
Came home feeling pleasantly exhausted, changed and headed out for dinner and beers with part of the dojang crowd who will be out of town the night we had actually planned to celebrate and go dancing. Savageman got the kids settled in and came out too, which was great.
Collapsed into bed after midnight, having truly experienced a full day.
*As for the online punch: It was brought to my attention in a rather painful way that my last post, in which I mentioned a past relationship, was viewed by that person and it upset her. Seeing it through her eyes, I understood why, and I was sorry to have hurt her. It wasn't intended to do that, merely to remind myself of some conclusions I'd reached after a great deal of processing. All I can say is that when a relationship ends, you can dwell on the things you miss, or you can focus on reasons it worked out for the best. I've spent plenty of time doing the former, and now I've moved on to the latter.
I'm sure she could think of similar things about me that she has missed and things she's glad to be done with. For her, the cons outweighed the pros of continuing our friendship.
Sometimes, the best way to love someone is to let her go when she asks you to.
2 comments:
I hope you can continue to be honest with yourself in your blog despite knowing some people read it and respond in ways we don't expect. It has happened to me, and I found myself censoring my feelings, toning down my emotions, and writing like a pc-scared politician rather than the spirited writer and person I was. I eventually started a blog with a pseudonym and told nobody about it just so I could relearn how to be honest. I enjoy reading your insights and embrace the honesty you share with us. I hope you continue to do it. And happy birthday!
Thanks, Christen! That means a lot coming from a writer I admire so much. I will keep that advice in mind as I move forward.
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