Lessons Learned

It seems as though on any given day, I learn a lesson of one sort or another. These are some of the little things that have actually "stuck" over the years.

Eating Jack in the Box after I've been drinking sounds like a good idea, but it REALLY isn't.  The Ultimate Double Cheeseburger, with a large fry and a Diet Coke worked for me in my 20's, but not so much after 30.  Now I just stumble to the fridge and eat, but try to make a sensible choice.

Understanding and accepting that my parenting skills will never work so miraculously that all 5 will be ZENNED out at the same time!  I'm down with it.  As long as all 5 don't go off and freak out simultaneously.

Picking up on how my anxiety over getting the laundry done, getting homework checked off, making dinner, or getting off to work on time, affects my kiddos.  Just last week, I experienced an event TEN minutes before I was to be out the door for work.  I was nowhere near being ready (didn't even have my make up on, and wasn't dressed yet), when Abby asked me for help with a Math word problem that had MULTIPLE steps.  I was forced to take a deep breath, let shit go, and help my daughter, knowing that I would very well be late for work.  BIG PICTURE, right?

3 drinks really IS just perfect for me.  Consuming 4,5,or 6 alcoholic beverages is not going to make me feel more relaxed.  Just hungover, tired, and crabby the next day.  Oh, and drinking water between those drinks works for me too.

Giving myself permission to stop and walk during my run is an okay thing to do.  Back in the day, I would have just powered through it, my internal monologue sounding like a Drill Sargent, "Stopping is for WIMPS!  You're NOT tired.  It's a figment of your imagination, WALSH!"  Now I'm too tired and old to power through it.  Taking a leisurely stroll followed by laying in the fetal position sounds much more appealing.

I'm convinced that I'm a better parent when I have ingested  Vicodin.  And I'm a stellar parent after I've taken a Vicodin AND a Vodka Cran.  Okay, so  I totally get how folks get hooked on prescription meds.  And I'm pretty damn innocent when it comes to that kind of stuff.  But if someone is gonna arm wrestle me for my Vicodin, I will cut you.  I'm kidding.  But not really.

Nothing could prepare me for teaching 6th grade in the East side.  I can't believe that I thought that I had all the knowledge to dole out going into that profession.  HARDEE HAR HAR.  Those kids and their experiences humbled me daily.

Marriage is an interesting dance of recognizing and appreciating what Tom has to offer me, is what I lack, but what I need to grow.

Loving a grand baby has given me access to a piece of my heart I didn't even know existed .  It's a deeper, different kind of love.  I'm taking all that in right now.

When an elderly person corners me in the dairy section of Safeway, admiring Charlotte, and I may be rushed for time, I stop and recognize that it's a blessing.  So what if I'm a running a bit late?  It's the sweetest thing to watch.

Nothing life shattering.  Just little lessons I've learned.  Feel free to add your own!