My kid kicking it Old Skool and a parable for your Friday afternoon.
Fate was late today. Terribly late. Bigger than detention late. The kind of late that gets to you sent to summer school. And if I were Fate’s mother, I’d be a little chagrined with her behavior.
But Fate is incorrigible. She doesn’t mind being sent to Summer school because there is a boy there she likes. Really likes. His name is Destiny.
Funny name for a boy, but Fate does not mind. Fate likes different and unique and she’s an optimist. She knows that in the end, it is not the name you were born with that defines who you are. It’s your willingness to bend and flex and be late when it matters. Besides, he has really long lashes. The kind Fate’s mother, Hope, would kill for if Hope was the killing kind. And that makes him beguiling.
Fate was terribly late today. But she had a good excuse. It just wasn’t her turn to be on time. And she’s pretty sure she can explain that to her mother.
We’ve been eating dinner alfresco this week—it’s still a bit chilly, but we’re stubborn, er, determined.
Sunlight makes me giddy*. Â It’s amazing what an abundance of sun worship can do for you. Take today:
I managed to get in some much needed Studio time and over-due yard time. IZ and I drank an entire pitcher of iced tea—the first of the season. Sophie and I drove in the car with the windows rolled down; she sniffed the air, I concentrated on driving. My 13 year old hugged me in front of his friends. Unprompted! I sat on the newly cut lawn with Miss Sophie to recharge our solar batteries. I got a little pink but not burned. We all ate dinner on the porch and then piled into the car for a sunset drive to the beach. I came home to two sales from a dear friend.
Whew!
And now, as I bus around the house putting away laundry, I can hear my men downstairs watching an old Star Trek movie. Evidently, we all just needed a good dose of sunshine.
*Sunlight also makes me crack really stupid jokes in the titles.
It’s been an amazing day here on this grey coast. Light streaming into every nook, sunlight creeping into every crevice, shedding much need light on life—hey, look, dust-bunnies, oops!— Â My soul feels warm. So do my 80 year old joints. I always feel more hopeful when I can see the sun, it’s just a bonus that it’s warm too.
The forecast is promising 4 days of this gloriousness. The forecast is a habitual liar, tho—so, I made an effort to get outside today. A walk with IZ. An early dinner alfresco, if a bit windy. And a few photos of this ridiculously beautiful Tree Peony just on the edge of being past bloom. It never ceases to astound me with its beauty. It’s finally May. And only more goodness can come, right?
That’s two paragraphs leading into what I really want to say to you tonight. And that is being surrounded by grace is a ridiculous form of beauty—just like this peony. You can’t imagine anything being so beautiful, and yet, there it is. You’d be a fool not to stop and enjoy it. . . to receive it. And yet, I’ve found myself learning this lesson over and over and over this week.
My mailbox (the real one on my porch and the electronic one on this computer) has been flooded with a sunlight of its own this week. Letters and notes and sweet packages of tea. Grace. In a tea bag, in a hand written note, in a life-line thrown when I thought I was OK treading water. And I’ve been struggling to absorb all the beauty.
Look at me being all drama queen down there. A big thank you to those of you who left comments and sent email and notes on facebook—I have a lovely set of friends. Y’all amaze me. I’m going to be OK–but I’ll send a group email when I have answers. Until then, we pray and pray and laugh at crazy dogs. It’s good therapy.
And sometimes, they eat lots and lots and lots of chocolate cake. They’re just smart enough to not photograph any of the evidence.
Life got tough in December. And when life gets tough, the tough, well, they  drink tea.  And they cry a lot. Because tough people stay tough by recognizing that sometimes you have to let the tears eek out.
You know what else? Tough people surround themselves with really amazing people. Who can hold them in thoughts and prayers and say, “There, there, it’s hard being tough, now. . . isn’t it?” Â And sometimes those people send packages of sympathy and tea. And sometimes they send you bright little emails of them hugging Palm trees in Hawaii or post snarky love notes on facebook. And these people, they may not know that life got really tough in December. Or that life hasn’t stopped being tough for 5 months. Â But they are there just the same, because they are your tribe. And you can’t be tough without a tribe.
And if a tough person is lucky, she will not have to be tough alone. She will have an amazing family who loves her. She will return that love with abandon, despite fearing the loss of everything. And she will hold her child’s fears in her heart, and tell him, “There, there, it’s ok. We’re ok, because we have each other.” Because deep in her heart, where the fear piles up and forces tears out, deep down she knows this is true. Life is amazing! And she is blessed.
In the dead of night when it all becomes too much, she will pray. For life to be easier. For answers to questions and help so badly needed. And for all the people she doesn’t know, but who she is certain are out there being just as tough as she is. Because a tough person prays.
And she will let her husband feed her chocolate cake, because she thinks and he knows that cake makes it better. Chocolate cake, bought one piece at a time in some silent agreement that she’s on a diet after all; Â mountains of plastic containers piling up in the recycling bag. One bite at a time towards OK. with tea. With lots and lots and lots of tea.
Because. When life gets tough, the tough—she drinks tea.
I am dead on my feet from deep cleaning our pitiful house all day. I have scrubbed and organized and sorted and done more laundry than I think we actually have. Even the dog is clean. And the refrigerator. Poor Iz, I think he’s in a state of shock.
So, I’m posting this little video. Because it kinda sums up our day relationship on so many levels.
