Friday 20 January 2012

I'm Having A Senior Moment, I'll Be Back Soon. I Think!


Wow - guess who had to return to work this week? From the lack of blogs over the past few days, it shouldn't be hard to put your finger on the answer!  The truth is that it becomes amazingly difficult to be even slightly creative when you are exhausted from returning to the rat-race that is your every-day life.  Especially when you have just spent a lovely holiday surrounded by your loved ones, having your mom look after your kids on the odd occasion so that you can sleep in until eight in the morning, and having your husband (who you have actually forgotten over the term time to a certain extent) with you for a whole week.  I think I actually went into some sort of post-holiday stress disorder from lack of hubby when he returned to work and was gone from the house for his usual twelve hour period each day.


Added to this was the funeral of a friend of ours that was killed unexpectedly and in an awful and horrifying manner.  Sitting in the congregation, which numbered in the hundreds (what a testament to a life well-lived!), I listened to the heart-felt and moving tributes offered by her children, her family and  those close to her.  I was moved by the way she was presented - not as perfect, but as a woman who truly lived in her own skin, comfortable with who she was, which seemed to make others comfortable with her too.


I have been wondering about what these littlies of mine will remember about growing up in a few years time.  They always surprise me with just how much they remember, by the way.  I have a disastrous memory.  The Sweetpea will ask me if I remember something, and then, on seeing that I look blank, will proceed to fill me in on every detail, insignificant or otherwise, until I slowly admit to remembering whatever it is that he is talking about (I almost never actually remember the incident).  The kids are luckily like him in that way.  This has its pros and cons.  It means that they are brilliant at reminding me to do things.  It also means that I can never get away with promising something - like a trip to the park or the beach - and get away with not following it through.  They remember the names of all my friends, and the names of the husbands or partners of the friends.  They remember the names of the dogs and cats and other assorted animals at their friends houses.  They seem to remember a time when I was pregnant with Little Miss Snoopy (they often tell me that they would rather not have another brother or sister, thanks very much).  And they remember all of the stories that I tell them, even those from when they were very little, and demand that I retell them exactly, even though I can never remember what I said or how I said it (this invariably results in the story ending up with them saying "that's not how it goes!" and then finishing it off themselves). 


All of which leaves me hoping that I am creating memories for them that will be really great - something to look back on with a smile.  It also makes me want to promise (though I am not sure it is an easy one to keep), that I will try at every turn to give them good memories filled with sunshine, long lazy days on the beach or by flowing rivers, times of my attention, and not my busyness.  With that said, we're off to do something fun!


Bear with me - I'll be back!  But when the kids are sleeping!

1 comment:

  1. So sorry about your friend! ("sorry" does not describe what I really mean)One does look at life differently when a loved one dies. Your children will remember the good memories you create for them for sure!You'll see x Writing everything down like you do, will bring you great joy and precious memories when you read it in few years time.With your blog,you encourage me(and I am sure others) to do the same.

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