Nothing Doin’

Sometimes, when I have much time on my hands I end up with even more time  doing nothing.  Does that make sense?

Well, there are days when I have nothing to pre-occupy my time-- all errands done, no friends or places to visit, not even a meal to cook.  So I sit and ask myself, “what shall I do today?”

Suggestions come to mind.

• What about finishing the bead work around a bottle I started a year ago? It sits forlorn on a book shelf.

• The bookshelves could do with a little straightening up.

• Did I notice how the mint needs a little pruning?  My hair is getting to be on the long side too.

• Will I ever finish the cross stitch project you started when you first got pregnant?

• Maybe now I can finish that book I  have been reading for the last two months already. (It’s still under the bed)

On and on a litany of possibilities pour in but not attractive enough to move me to action.

Daddy can you hear me?

Hi Daddy,

Remember how stressed out you were when you got a phone call that I had bit off my tongue as a result of being side swept by a provincial bus? Do you still remember the relief that went through you when the doctor told you that I would be alright?  Did you laugh to learn that it was not my tongue I bit off but it was the hotdog I had been eating at the time I crossed the street?

Free to Be

I celebrated Independence Day with my kiddos.

My son had been living on his own for 10 years now while my daughter is a newbie and is still learning the ropes of living on her own.  When I hear them talk and compare notes about water and electric bills, I get nostalgic. Was it not only yesterday, when they were chasing each other around the house—with water pistols?!?!

“What do you feel like eating?”, my daughter asked.

It was mid-morning and we had time to kill before my son joined us for a late lunch.

“How’s about a visit to a pastry shop where we can have good bread and sit around?”, I countered.

Guided by a magazine article on out-of-the-way eateries on the edge of the business district, she declared,  “I think I know the perfect spot.”

Green Tongue

For a whole week I fretted.  Every time I sat at my terrace and happened to look up, I apologized.  Was it necessary? Could it not wait—another week, a month, a year? The questions of the guilty.

But in the end, with the rain clouds darkening the blue summer skies, it had to be done.  There was no telling the extent of the damage that could be caused in the event of a strong typhoon.

Hello Again

Over the years since I retired, I have made it a habit to start my day by attending the 6:30AM mass at my nearby parish church.  Doing so puts me in a positive spirit that would serve me well throughout the rest of the day.  These daily ritual has also afforded me the chance to make the acquaintance of several parishioners.  Mostly senior citizens, a sprinkling of empty-nesters and working folks who have time to spare before rushing off to work.