Getting Back To The Centre

....Wherever that is.

Today, I got up late, rushed about like a crazy woman, forgot stuff, etc, etc. I know y'all have had days like that so I won't bore you! I was mega-disorganized because yesterday after school when the boys said "Puh-leeeeeeze can we go to the park? You've been saying since CHRISTMAS and we have the new kite and rocket and stuff? Puh-LEEEEEEEZZZZE?" I threw caution, laundry, and tomorrow's lunch to the wind and said "Why ever not?"

Dad came with us as Head Rocket Scientist. The hydrogen thingy did not work the way it should have, and the kite didn't have strong enough wind to keep it up, but we had loads of fun trying!

Anyway, so all of that made me late this morning. We leave home very early in the morning in order to beat the traffic to town and if I am not sorted out the night before, I am in trouble. Plus I was stressed out in general about all of the little crap that stresses out a working mother of three who has to spend half her life on the road etc.

And this morning was Picasso Tuesday (Painters In Chaos Appreciating Sometimes Sane Outings), when a few of us painters get together and paint outdoors. As Lou is here, I was to pick him up and bring him along. It's a good thing, too. If Lou wasn't waiting I would have given up on painting and gone to work instead, I was feeling so harassed. But I couldn't let Lou down. It has been so much fun to meet him, and his son. Lou's just the same in person as on his blog, which is a good thing! And it was a really beautiful day. I actually lay on the grass at the Botanic Gardens and gazed up into the treetops, announced that I was giving up painting for ever, and felt all of the stress melt away into the grass. I saw a squirrel, some orioles, some rude blackbirds and two yellow butterflies.

And then I got a grip and painted some bougainvillea flowers. Which is a very hard word to spell, by the way. I had to look it up.

Lou also painted, and so did Paula and Sharon (Danielle and Flossy YOU ARE SO LAME!), and then we picked the boys up from school and dragged Lou's son Louie out of bed and came home to my house where Sharon met us with a birthday cake because today is Steffie's birthday! And tomorrow is Chas' birthday! We are all about January birthdays in this family, yes siree! So we ate cake, and then Sharon took the boys home with her and I dropped Lou & Co back to their hotel.

And now Lou & Co are out on the town, and my snuggly sons and I are tucked into our respective beds. Alas! I was hoping to abandon the boys with Mum and Dad, but they are out on the town too, darnit! It's the Steelpan Pleliminaries tonight. Well go on then all of you, party on, and tomorrow morning I will be all bright and chipper and YOU will be a bunch of blobs, so there.

Anyway, note to self: When life gets to be too much and you can't get it all done, forget about it for a little while, lie on the grass with a few friends and remember that you are only a speck in the universe after all. And the laundry ain't going nowhere.

Comments

witchypoo said…
You missed the steelpans? Oh, noes!
GirlBlue said…
Yay tomorrow is my day with Lou...well half day...quarter?
GirlBlue said…
oh just tagged you in a meme
Theresa said…
Like Witchypoo said! Oh no :(

But yeah, I stopped doing anything other than the absolute bare minimum of house work over the weekend. And now my place is a complete disaster zone. So i decided to have a shower, embarrass people on facebook, and check blogs.

I like ignoring the mess, for now :)
Ndinombethe said…
Great advice - I'm going to lie on the grass (after my trial, and the defence is filed, and the application for consolidation is drafted, settled and filed, the proposal for settlement is sent out - yes all in various different matters)

Then, I'll lie on the grass.

We bounced up your folks at Renegades. Lou felt like a real trini, bouncin into people he knew already.

Trying to take them out tonight but catchin my tail here. Ugh!
Anonymous said…
Sounds like you're doing a fabulous job keeping it all in perspective!
Unknown said…
I was there to witness that lay down in the grass - and the tension just seemed to fly away from you. And your painting was lovely - as was the work done by Paula and Sharon. The piece by Paula was amazing - and Sharon's was so big (and even more amazing)- and so detailed - and I never knew that water color could or would be done so fast.