Thursday, April 24, 2008

Such Small Hands

If nothing ever changed, there'd be no butterflies.
-Anonymous


Last Tuesday I got out of work early and walked (rather than drove) to pick up N from school. Making our way down the front steps of Prescott there was a hot wind blowing. The sunlight caught the side of her cheek as she smiled at me. We grabbed hands and crossed the street together.
From that first step onto the cross-walk to the last step on the front porch I listened to the melodious sound of a six year old babble about school. She rendered the latest and greatest song from music class, listed what different kids ate for lunch (“oh, by the way, mom, couldn’t you throw a dessert into my lunch-box just a little more often?”), and she mentioned liking the smell of her teacher’s perfume when she gets a hug.
Subtract the sunlight, the hot wind and I’m left with a moment that isn’t uncommon.
In the daily grind of dinner, dishes, bedtime, laundry…rinse, lather, repeat… I often forget to relish in what an affectionate creature N is. It goes without notice, sometimes, how she'll instinctively hold my hand, or even delight in our being together.
It won't always be like this. She'll bound across streets with or without me. Grow into an adult who never gives a second thought as to how hard it was to tie her own shoes.
Everything changes eventually. Even the smallness of her hands. Our relationship will change accordingly. Being a parent often conjures a lesson I keep learning, forgetting, and learning again that you have to love what you have while you have it.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet


Happy Earth Day! Without a lot of time to write a long diatribe about the environment I fall back on the premise of a book by John C. Ryan called Seven Wonders. Each chapter focuses on an item from his list of choices we can make for a healthier planet. Its a good book and one I recommend. Ryan uses his research to paint a picture of things I can do rather than leaving me with a hopeless or deeply depressed feeling which pervades the eco-lit genre.

In a nutshell Ryan recommends we opt for the following Seven Wonders to benefit the planet:
  1. The Bicycle
  2. The Ceiling Fan
  3. The Library
  4. Pad Thai Tofu
  5. The Condom
  6. The Clothesline
  7. The Ladybug
My favorite among the list is the bicycle. We went on a family bike ride just last Saturday. You remember that feeling you had on your dirt bike when you were a kid? The rush you got from tick-tick-ti-ti-ti-ti-ticking of your bike chain? The way your cheeks got a little flushed from the thrill of mobility? Call me a big kid but its a feeling I've never outgrown.

Obviously I'm a huge fan of Thai food and my vegetarian husband proliferates the veggie servings present at our table. So, my taste-buds must give a nod to the Pad Thai though I know the tofu mention rules that out for several of you.

In celebration of Earth Day I hope you'll head to your local library and check out Seven Wonders by John C. Ryan. Its a quick read and offers some good granola brain-food to munch on.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Cilantro Plants for the Taking

Our sun-lamp downstairs works better than I dreamed it would. The McKibbin basement is a cilantro forest. Fresh herbs are expensive from the grocer but these bedding plants are free to a good home. If you're interested just call or email me.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Spring

I like the way the soil kind of stings against my fingers as I work in the garden. The cold, wet earth reminds me we how close this moment rises from winter. I wonder if the winter hibernation isn't some basic instinct of mine during bouts of cold weather? I curl up on the couch more often. Read more. Talk Less. My sleep is somehow deeper under the insulation of snow.

As the daylight lengthens so does my to-do list. Some special breath about springtime awakens my ambition. These mornings, before the alarm, I stay still just a minute to hear the birds outside. I push back the covers with a rush of energy.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Insult to Injury

With moaning and complaining on the brain I slunk into the gym at 5 pm today. I growled out a mouthful of self-pity to the YMCA check-in clerk about my long, frustrating day with little sleep. I was just dog tired. With that bad attitude I laced up my shoes, and walked upstairs from the locker room. The half-marathon training guide said I still had to run six miles.

I fired up my treadmill, plugged in my headphones and surrendered to notion that, bad attitude or not, the next sixty minutes of my life would be occupied by running. Adding insult to injury the news report told me that my favorite, favorite junk food of all time (cheese fries with ranch dressing) topped a list from Men's Health Magazine of unhealthy foods.

Talk about kicking a girl while she's down!

Friday, April 4, 2008

My Inner Sci-Fi Geek

Say the word sci-fi to a woman and she’ll respond by
shrieking as she runs into the other room to go read

The Kiterunner.

-- That Guy Who Hosts The Daily Dish
on E! Entertainment Channel


Looking in the mirror this morning, I had a moment of clarity. All junkies start their sobriety stories that sort of revelation, don’t they? I’ve been reduced to a puddle of my former self by the marathon Battlestar Galactica episodes this week leading up to the season premier tonight. My brother and I watched Battlestar Galactica’s original rendering in the ‘70s. Yep, my Battlestar addiction dates back to the days when Starbuck was a guy, and the Commander was better known for his role in Alpo dog-food commercials.

Here’s the scoop: the old show was campy and fun but this new show is genius. I’m not the type of sci-fi fan who’s hooked whenever a show throws down a couple of good special effects or a techno-gadget to inexplicably save-the-day. It’s the plotline of the new Battlestar Galactica that grabs me. The story is both exciting and relevant. It manages to capture the essence of a very human story. Uh, its just … its just …genius.

I know there is a lot of Battlestar hype out there. You’ve seen the Bringing the 'Battlestar' fleet home: 5 questions article in the Journal Star or the 'Battlestar Galactica': Why It Might Save Your Marriage article on MSN. Seriously if you are at all on the fence I recommend checking out the final season.

Latecomers can catch up on the last four seasons by watching an 8 minute clever synopsis posted by the SciFi Channel called What The Frak is Going On?