14. CRUSHING OLD AGE

 

Yesterday, at the 5 Hour Store (my name for NPS) I was checking out and the clerk automatically gave me the senior discount. Mind you, she had asked the woman in front of me to show her ID for proof. No wonder I'm cranky.

For my birthday, since I got to sort of celebrate with my Birthday Girl yesterday (my daughter Sarah was born on my Birthday), I have it in my head to do nothing. When your life is filled to excess with "somethings", nothing is really attractive. So here's the layout:

1. _____  Sleep in. I can now do this cuz, as mentioned before, I am old. Sleep in until the only thing compelling you to get up is to use the bathroom. As a side note here, Dave and I ended up unexpectedly driving to Logan at midnight to rescue our grand daughter who was stranded in her car in a blizzard in Sardine Canyon. We didn't get home until after 4 am, so sleeping in kind of felt essential more than luxurious, though Dave did have to get up to go to work. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, I had the privilege of lying in bed until I felt like rising, and that's a pretty fine gift.

2.____ Clean my bedroom. For someone who has an aversion to tidying up it may sound strange that this is what I want to do on my birthday, but that's what I chose. Right now all the stuff from my bedroom couch and the corner next to it is strewn out all over the top of my bed and I am in my recliner in the family room distracting myself with Lent Writing. Half that stuff is likely to end up back on the couch. But, and this is important, half of it will have founbd another place to be and I will have a measure of satisfaction from that. My gift to myself.

3. _____ Pick up Beth and Tess from school. This is my every Thursday pleasure. I love picking them up. There will be so few years of being able to do that. I will turn at the Farmington Arts Center and stop by Forbush Rock and there they will be, Tess sprawled on top of the rock with her backpack, and Beth on the bench reading a book. I will take them to Wendy's to get a bargain bag because when I get them later for ballet classes they will not have had time to eat and that will make them grumpy. Children should not have to be cranky. Only old gray haired women should have to deal with that. They will get out to fhcar with their bags, Junior Frosties and backpacks slung over their shoulders and Beth will shift everything so she can thrust her hand toward me with her fingers in the shape of ASL "I Love You." I will send the same signal back to her as I put the car in reverse.

4. _____ I have already arranged with Annie to handle dance tonight, even though I love my Thursday routine with my girls. Tonight is Walter's 6th Grade Program at Knowlton, "Dig It". He called me last week to see if we would like to come see him, even though its my birthday. I told him its exactly what I want to do on my birthday.

5. _____ Dave, my sisters  who live in Utah, and I will all load into one of our vans (old women in our family drive vans. I'll explain sometime why this is, if you'd like to know.) We will drive to Crown burger, order burgers and fries and sit in the van and eat our dinner. This away nobody needs to get presentable for the public.

6. _____ We will return to Libby and Sherry's  house where there are five separate recliners into which we will plant ourselves and watch a movie. 

7._____ We will drive 100 Yards from Libby's house to our house because I have weird anxiety about falling. I push away shame about driving from her house to mine, because I will not allow shame to keep me from visiting my sisters. We will drive into our garage, using a remarkable automatic garage door opener and walk straight into the kitchen, finishing up our day in whatever way we want. No kids to argue about homework with. Nobody to tuck in and repeatedly remind to go to sleep. We have a trusty heater to keep the house warm. A king size bed with an excessive amount of soft pillows and blankets.  I will whisper a prayer to the God I love with the man I love, then seek for rest. 

Could there be a more perfect day?