A perfect weekend

Everybody needs a little time away
I heard her say
From each other
Even lovers need a holiday
Far away from each other
-Chicago

It was great to be away and it was great to come home - until reality set in about an hour ago...

It's back to life, back to reality here in at Casa Poppet. I'm trying to book our tickets to see my in-laws. It is expensive and complicated. No matter which flights I choose I am guaranteed to disappoint! My niece has apparently picked her vacation week based on the guestimated dates I gave several weeks ago. When I went to find flights to match these dates today, they are sold out. The flights we usually take - and booked the last time we flew - are no longer flying. It's more complicated than I remember. I can't please everyone! This time it looks like no matter which flight I choose EVERYONE will dislike it. No one likes a 7 hour layover......

I wanted to blog about how invigorating the weekend was. On Friday I spent a few hours with one of my best friends from high school. BP and I would lie on my bed listening to Howard Jones for hours and hours, talking and talking. As young adults we cooked together and played cards while her daughter slept. Now we don't live near each other but I wish we could spend our evenings playing cards and talking.

On Saturday I spent the day with my "second family" - the neighbors from down the street. I felt at home from the moment I walked into MJ's kitchen. I felt like one of the family. On Sunday I attended the wedding. It was small - about 50 people - not many for a big Italian family. It was so wonderful that the feeling is mutual. I was as much the Bride's family as she is mine. Reciprocal love! Her parents, her siblings, even her cousins embraced me and talked about the old times.


Today I roamed around my alma mater's campus. It was beautiful. Think of Hogwarts without any witchy-scary vibe. When I was there a few years ago I felt bad about myself. My friends all were in the middle of their careers and I was the only one of my close friends who stays at home raising kids. I felt pretty worthless. Today I just took in the beauty of the school and remembered the happy times.

I also ate. More than I ever allow myself - big calorie sins.

Like good friends and surrogate family (which is sometimes easier to get along with than my own) its good to know that my favorite ice cream shop still makes the best ice cream! I treated myself to a "medium" - which looked like super large and that my favorite bagel place makes the best veggie cream cheese.

If only I could bottle the love I felt this weekend to open now when I feel so unloved and overwhelmed. It's awful anticipating negative reactions from people you want to please. Why can't I relive the feeling?  It's only been 24 hours. I should have gotten a tub of the ice-cream. That too was something to savor and I could have at least enjoyed it while surfing Continental Airlines. Oh well....

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