JUST LET IT GO

You catch just a glimpse of someone high above you, dancing on the jagged rim, clad only in airy silks

While you plod far below across a rocky mud field with a bulky and uncomfortable rucksack on your back.

You hear a voice - "Come! Join me!" from above.

Grimly you shout back, "I can't! This pack is way too heavy for me to climb up there!"

Clearly you hear the soft reply - "So take it off and come!"

Somehow I need to learn this one lesson over and over again - we carry our pain and suffering with us, and cling tigher to our burden when someone suggests that we discard it.

SERENDIPITY

Did you know that the word "serendipity" was coined from phrase used in a fairy tale by an Horace Walpole, a British writer and politician (dangerous combination) in the 1700s?

There, don't you feel smarter, knowing that?

Yesterday was an example of serendipitousness.

My church's youth group has an annual Mud Football every summer out at my place. I tear up about a quarter acre of land, soak it for nine to ten days solid, and then allow 40-60 teenagers to spend a couple of hours having more physical contact between the sexes than is allowed in any other church activity we sponsor.

But, obviously, to rip up that much land, I need to rely on machinery rather than brute strength (with a shovel and my 54 year old back, I would need to begin as soon as the game is over to have it ready for neat year).

So I borrow my neighbor's tractor and furrowing attachment.

Here is where the serendipitousness begins.

Cherie is the perfect neighbor. And I mean PERFECT.

She knows just about everything about EVERY animal - she knows when I should call the vet, or just borrow something from her medicinal stash - she is someone I can call at 2 a.m. when I can't get hold of the border patrol or the county sheriff - her kids have taken care of MY animals for years when I am in California or Hawaii (really, people, where else do I go?).

And she has a tractor. A big and REAL John Deere tractor. Which I borrow every year. And sing the "Green Acres" theme song the entire time I am using it to plow the mud football field.

I do feel guilty every year when I call Cherie, after not talking to her over the past year any more than 12 minutes, and ask to borrow the tractor and the attachment. - but only for about 14 seconds (I have an extremely high guilt threshold).

But this year - it just happened that she was helping out a friend with a personal emergency, was going to be probably overnight, and wanted to make certain her kids had several contact numbers JIC (just in case).

And, therefore, I was one of those numbers she needed, just at that particular moment when I was calling to ask HER to borrow the tractor.

Guilt, be GONE!

DAY THREE

0530 - Awakened by clock-radio set to annoying AM talk station.
0531 - Radio thrown out window.
0545 - Discovered solar heater doesn't hold heat through night.
0600 - Awoke grandson. Awoke granddaughter.
0602 - Awoke grandson again.
0605 - Dressed both grandchildren.
0614 - Discovered breakfast cereal on floor instead of mouths.
0615 - Changed clothing of granddaughter; cereal not on floor on shirt.

0635 - Began to herd grandchildren out to van.
0655 - Buckled in both grandchildren. Began commute to kindergarten.
0705 - Traveled 2.4 miles. Memorizing major sections of the DVD "Cars".
0725 - Approached entrance to H1 while leads into Honolulu.
0735 - Began driving on H1 into Honolulu.
0750 - Arrived at school and dropped off grandson.

1630 - Began preparations for dinner.
1631 - Toy soldiers scattered through kitchen.
1632 - Organized toy pick-up time for grandchildren to take care of.
1720 - Picked up toy soldiers by self.
1721 - Began preparations for dinner.
1722 - Discovered box of macaroni and cheese missing.
1738 - Discovered box in toy solider container.
1740 - Ordered home delivery for pizza.

1900 - Began bath preparations for children.
1901 - Granddaughter hysterical - tropical breeze from bathroom window.
1902 - Granddaughter hysterical - bath water too hot.
1903 - Granddaughter hysterical - breeze meeting wet body removed from hot bath.
1908 - Grandson bodily removed - Weeble-Wobble thrown at younger sibling.
1909 - 2.8 gallons water dumped on floor in process.
1913 - Grandson returned to bath water after lecture on harm to siblings.
1914 - Changed own soaked clothing.
1930 - Grandson shampooed own hair under direct supervision.
1935 - Granddaughter hysterical about having hair shampooed.
1958 - 5 towels used to dry children, and 6 to mop up floor.
1959 - Debating possible intake of whiskey.

2035 - Popped popcorn, allowed children to watch "Madagascar" for 15 minutes.
2050 - Got vacuum cleaner to deal with scattered kernels.
2052 - Granddaughter hysterical at sight of vacuum cleaner.
2053 - Hid in laundry room for later use.

2107 - Both children in bed.
2108 - Began conversation with vacationing daughter.
2109 - Stopped conversation to check on crying granddaughter.
2110 - Administered ice pack to bruised bridge nose/upper cheek.
2153 - Sang "Mockingbird" song 128 times while rocking with ice pack to eye and suffering major guilt trip.
2154 - Unable to determine cause of injury -crib bars, toy truck, or Play-Dough toy
2155 - Major guilt trip for not detecting objects in crib.
2154 - Called vacationing daughter to admit granddaughter may have first black eye while under grandmother's care.
2200 - Collapsed into bed after mindlessly writing blog report.

Whiskey idea rejected, replaced by Diet Coke. Further report tomorrow.