Today I am sick. Coughing and coughing. I have to say it is at moments like these that I wish I had someone to take care of me. It might sound crazy to miss my Mother when I’m about to turn 35 but doesn’t everyone miss their mothers from time to time?
I think it is more than that. It is that sense of someone having your back and taking care of you when you are unwell. Most of us as adults, married or single, don’t have that. It is probably the part of childhood we all miss the most.
It makes sense when you think about it because we are taught to be independent and strong but when we are sick that facade is gone and we are back to being needy and in pain. Plus, I am usually very tired and worn out when I am sick.
I’m just grateful I don’t work in accounting any more so I can take the day off and get better. In accounting it didn’t matter how sick I was. I still had to work every day.
But I still do miss being taken care of. On my mission I used to have these fantasies about my Mother taking care of me. I was so tired and worn out the entire time that it was something I would dream about. Ha! Not that much has changed.
Can anyone relate to what I am talking about? Do you ever as an adult wish you could get taken care of?
This is just a quick post but seriously isn’t losing things and forgetting to do things the worst? Or at least the most frustrating.
I thought this old Calvin and Hobbes showed the frustration well. Lately I keep losing things and forgetting to do stuff. Like I lost an entire crate of Funko dolls that I was going to sell at the garage sale. It has vanished and I have no idea where it could have gone. I also lost my Pixar Shorts DVD and had to buy another copy because it vanished.
Then today I found out I had forgotten to register myself for the race tomorrow. I could have sworn under oath I had done that. I remembered to register my Dad but forgot myself. Luckily they have space and enough medals for me to sign up there. Still, the fact I forgot is baffling.
When I was in college I wanted very much to be treated like an adult and to be what I called “mature”. For some reason I saw losing things or forgetting stuff as immature.
There is one instance I will particularly never forget. My sister Anna was in a glee type choir and in order to perform at the state fair she had to be at practice on a day when the rest of the family was out of town. My parents decided to send her home early and expected me to make sure she got to the practice. This involved a lot of pieces getting her home including my Grandma picking her up at the airport and driving 4+ hours roundtrip to get her from the airport.
Then the day arrived and my sister and I started to organize her room. In my mind I was trying to be helpful and present the family with a cleaned up house on their arrival home. Unfortunately I didn’t realize that an hour had gone by and then another and one more. You get the idea. We forgot about the practice! I was mortified and everyone was rightfully very upset with me. It was so embarrassing at the time.
Nobody involved probably remembers that story except myself but it was awful. Forgetting can be like that. It can be very awkward, uncomfortable and frustrating.
Another funny example is when I was in high school I again was very concerned about appearing mature and grown up. I hated being treated like some stupid teen and wanted to be respected.
Well, my Dad was letting me drive a car of his and I was so wound up I kept forgetting to put the gas cap back on the car. To me this wasn’t just a gas cap but a sign that I was completely incompetent. One day after losing the cap I had gone through enough and burst into the home sobbing. My Dad of course worried I had been in an accident or something but then I said “I lost the gas cap again” and he started to laugh. It really is such a silly thing to get worked up over but at the time it was symbolic of my inability to handle my grown up responsibilities.
Anyway, losing stuff sucks. It really does. Forgetting stuff sucks. It really does! I suppose I could get better organized but sometimes that is even worse because I have no idea where I have organized it. So for meantime I just get a little annoyed and then try to laugh it off. It’s just one of those frustrating things. What are you going to do!
I’ve talked about a lot of great literature on this blog but it occurred to me I have neglected one of my favorites- Calvin and Hobbes. I can picture you my reader smiling at my mention of the name Calvin and Hobbes.
It is perhaps easy to discount comic strips as real art or literature but that is unfair to the thought and brilliance of the medium. I love Peanuts and Dilbert but also Calvin and Hobbes.
Calvin and Hobbes is a strip written by Bill Watterson from 1985-1995. They focused on the protagonist Calvin who is a rebellious but thoughtful kid who wants to explore and have adventures and hates school.
Calvin is at one point like Lisa Simpson in his thoughtfulness and grown up sensibilities but also like Bart Simpson in his mischievousness and rebelliousness from the rules.
He is accompanied by his best friend Hobbes who is sometimes a stuffed tiger and sometimes anthropomorphized. Hobbes is both the sidekick and the teacher for Calvin.
A few years ago I went to a reading symposium and a woman spoke that was a high school teacher. She mentioned 10 or 11 books in her lecture and the main qualification seemed to be they were ‘short’ and despite being somewhat dimwitted ‘at least the kids are reading’. That really made me mad then and it still does today (I will add that I am in the minority opinion on that lecture but I don’t care!). http://smilingldsgirl.com/2012/01/18/writing-and-reading-for-children-and-teens/
Calvin and Hobbes shows you can be entertaining to all age groups while being challenging and thought provoking. At least the kids are reading is a such a cop-out.
Calvin has a great imagination and the adventures he goes on are always full of laughs.
It’s good for kids to see that parents don’t always know what is the best way.
I love any art form that takes kids seriously. That doesn’t assume just because it is children it has to be stupid. Calvin and Hobbes shows great respect for a child’s intellect and does not shy away from long words or tough topics of religion, philosophy or the meaning of life.
I hate it when adults have a ‘good enough’ attitude about kids. This book is ‘good enough’. This movie is ‘good enough’. No way. We as adults have an obligation to encourage the best in our kids and to let them rise to a higher standard than their natural man might appeal too.
Calvin and Hobbes is proof that with a little effort we can find enlightening and enriching material that appeals to a childs demographic. I refuse to accept a ‘at least he’s reading’ attitude. We can do better than that. Calvin and Hobbes does better than that.
I sincerely wish all teachers when they have an unruly little boy would give said boy Calvin and Hobbes. Maybe it would help them know they are ok and that there is a purpose to their type of sensibilities. Maybe they would learn to channel that energy into art or nature or even philosophy.
I wish I could give this to every kid who is disciplined for coloring outside the lines
This is one of my favorites. It’s funny and it really will make anyone, kid or not, think.
That is brilliant writing I tell you!
Calvin and Hobbes is also full of a sense of play and adventure. Even knowing the characters takes effort. There are no movies, saturday afternoon cartoons, plush toys or video games.
It’s like Watterson knew what was coming for kids entertainment and instead of embracing it he held off so that hopefully kids would have one thing in their lives they loved that wasn’t spoon fed for them. When you think of the amount of money he could have made merchandizing it is pretty remarkable; and yet the comics continue to be read by kids and adults alike despite little to no promotion. They are just that good.
These three are just brilliant.
This is the last comic strip Watterson did for Calvin and Hobbes. It’s a magical world…let’s go exploring!I have a file of my favorite comic strips on my computer and facebook and I turn to it quite frequently. Whether it’s Dilbert in his office, Charlie Brown questioning the world or Calvin and Hobbes on an adventure they always make me smile. (I need to do posts on Peanuts and Dilbert too)
Do you like Calvin and Hobbes? Why do you think they have remained so popular? What do you like about them? Any above that stand out for you?
I admit it today I would annoy Calvin! It's been a stressful couple of days.
I can’t write much but I wanted to update quickly on the craziness of my life the last few days. First of all, I moved on Saturday to my new 2 bedroom apartment. It is much roomier and in a way feels more like a home than my last place. I will always love that apartment because it proved I could be on my own and be happy. This apartment feels different but I have high hopes for it as well. As you can expect the move was stressful and exhausting. I am so grateful to Easton Brown, Sarah Creer and other friends from church who came to my moving rescue. It was a hot day and the move took several hours. As I have often said I am blessed with wonderful people in my life.
With the boxes moved in the next task of unpacking came into play. (By the way, we have also had people in all 4 houses over the last few days which is great but stressful!). It is shocking how much stuff I have. Truly shocking! Thank goodness my roommate has only furniture for her bedroom and little kitchen stuff. That was a huge blessing! She hasn’t officially moved in yet but I consulted with her before placing furniture and unpacking my kitchen stuff. She seems very easy going, and I think we will make a good team.
I am proud to say I finished the unpacking today! The final step was my office. I will put up photos of my new place soon. I just love it so much!
In the midst of all this unpacking and working I also had to do my final check out of my old place today. This morning to be more particular. I thought I had done a pretty good job with things but the inspector sure found a big list of problems. By the end of the check out it seems I will be responsible for $200 worth of stuff! That’s the downside of renting.
Naturally I was in a bad mood this morning but then we added on more stress by having a crisis at work. I won’t go into the details but one of the houses had some minor vandalism and we had someone checking into the house today! It was creepy, annoying and exhausting all at the same time. It ended up taking Jim and I the entire afternoon to resolve the problem. Luckily the tenants are happy and nothing was seriously damaged or taken except some sheets that had to be replaced. We are now already in the process of getting alarm systems on all 4 houses.
The other stressful event that happened is yesterday I made the mistake of purchasing an Ikea bookshelf with doors for the kitchen as a type of pantry. We got the bookshelf together easy enough but the stupid doors were impossible. We literally spent the entire day. By saying we, I mean my friend Melany Bushe and I. I think the definition of a true friend is someone who will help you assemble Ikea furniture. It was a lot of work and the frustrating thing is that it still isn’t perfect. It wobbles more than it should and the doors don’t line up perfectly! Part of the problem is they only give you those silly drawings as instructions. There are always a million ways to go wrong- and usually I find all of them! Oh well! It will have to do for now. You know there is a joke about Ikea furniture- How may PHD’s do you need to assemble a piece of Ikea furniture?- 3 one PHD in Swedish, one in Engineering and one in relationship counseling. Luckily mine and Melany’s relationship is still intact and the friendship will persist despite the trial!
Need I mention that I also have my recital for voice lessons on Friday! I am doing Somewhere Over the Rainbow which may sound like a simple song but in fact it is quite difficult. It has an octave change with every Some-where and Rain-bow. It is definitely the hardest song I have done at a recital and is a bit of a risk. I hope it pays off- especially with how little rehearsal time I have gotten lately with the move and all. Wish me luck come Friday. I wish it sounded like this. 01 Over The Rainbow (Single Version)
Between everything going on I am looking forward more than ever to the tropical paradise that awaits me this Sunday. Hawaii here I come! I can’t think of anything more relaxing than lying in the sun with a good book listening to the waves. I’d give up a meal a day for that pleasure! Every ounce of my sore achy emotional body is yearning for that blessed island. Thank goodness for vacations by the ocean! I need it real bad!
President Joseph F. Smith said that seeking “to do well those things which God ordained to be the common lot of all man-kind, is the truest greatness. To be a successful father or a successful mother is greater than to be a successful general or a successful statesman.”
This is one of my favorite quotes because it reminds me that there is nobility in the small, simple acts of life. There is a part of me that wants to be bold, brave and make an impact on the world. I just have to remember that often that impact is felt by the simple and not the grand gestures. The people that I most admire are the ones that lived quiet lives filled with love and service- grandparents, friends, parents etc.
I was thinking about some of the small activities that give me great joy. I’d love for all of you to share some of your favorites as well. These are in no particular order:
1. Reading a good book
2. Lazy conversations with friends and family- phone is great but in person even better.
3. A funny joke or story shared with a friend
4. Comics- Calvin and Hobbes, Dilbert and Peanuts are my favorite
5. Hugs from my nieces/nephew and siblings.
6. Morning scriptures and prayer
7. The mountains when they are clear and beautiful/The Ocean
8. The satisfaction of completing a task or job
9. Dinner/lunch with friends
10. Watching a good movie
11. Book clubs
12. NPR- especially Car Talk, Wait Wait and This American Life
13. Holidays
14. The comfort and security of being around loved ones
15. Fresh cut flowers- lilis and orchids are my favorite
16. Great music of all kinds
17. Cooking for myself or others
18. Singing particularly with my voice lessons
19. Shopping and finding a bargain
20. Finding the perfect gift for a friend or family member
So, I could go on and on. The point is that I have much in my life to be grateful for and many happy, simple things that I can focus on doing well each day.
Today I am sick. Coughing and coughing. I have to say it is at moments like these that I wish I had someone to take care of me. It might sound crazy to miss my Mother when I’m about to turn 35 but doesn’t everyone miss their mothers from time to time?
Rachel's Musings 