Inspired!
Ohmygosh. I’ve been waiting for inspiration to hit and today, although I don’t know yet if it’s true inspiration, I feel that familiar tingle in my belly of excitement!
The boys and I are in Oklahoma, letting the humidity and heat seep into us and warm us well, and listening to the cicadas sing their summer songs while the waterfalls spill into my sister’s koi pond.
Not a bad spot.
Last night I felt those first scales of stagnation begin to fall away. My sister has this beautiful bathroom, outfitted with a chandelier, enormous jacuzzi tub tucked in the corner, and a Bose speaker system in just the right spot to plug my iPod into and sink back, letting the most-awesome-Amos-Lee lull me right into a state of perfect juiciness. What a treat.
(The boys love the bubbly tub, too.)
Post tub? Reading bedtimes stories out by the pond. Who cares if this added a little layer of dirt or bugs? Yeah. Me neither.
This trip has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, to tell the truth. My other sister and I drove around our hometown a while, specifically around the parts where we grew up. Where I worked through high school and college break. The areas surrounding it. It’s changed a lot. It’s actually run down a lot. What used to be a thriving spot when my sisters were little turned into a so-so spot when I was little, and then turned into a not-so-safe spot today. It’s sad for me to see now.
Everything’s all boarded up and dilapidated.
But the joyous parts? Meeting Ashley Campbell (I’ve been following her blog for a while; check it out here.) Seeing a friend I’ve known for nearly 30 years, pregnant with her first baby and so in love. My boys loving up their grandparents and big brother, their aunts and uncles and cousins. Watching my nephew graduate from high school and seeing him so excited for his upcoming trip to Greece. Listening to bare feet slapping across hardwood floors as kids chase each other around and through the house with their wild cackle laughs. Waiting up for my two oldest boys to come in from fishing and being out with the dogs way too long after dark, just to peel sticky, gross shoes and clothes off of The Goldfish so I could tuck him into cool sheets and whisper, “Goodnight”, knowing that in the morning he was due for a good scrubbing in the shower and a full-body tick check.
My boys seeing crawdads for the first time.
Now. I must go wrestle the glass slippers away and return them to their rightful owner. Especially before my husband reads this. Yikes.
Hope your day is adventure-filled.
Hank Pantier
already did.
Mary
crapsickles.