Do you ever sit back and wonder why you are who you are? I've always believed that all the things that we've experienced in our lives - both good and bad - make us who we are. Without the good. Without the bad. Something about us would be different. For some people, difficulty makes them bitter. For others, difficulty makes them compassionate.
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| With mom. Circa 8th grade, I think. |
I had a great childhood with parents that cared about me and sacrificed for me. They were my coaches both on the field and off. They taught me about work ethics and values. We lived in a rural area where my folks helped set up a Little League program but we lacked amenities like a neighborhood pool, park, movie, shopping, etc. However, we had 10 acres of happiness for things like dirt bikes, mud slides, pet rabbits and lots of room to run. Unfortunately, the school district was less than ideal and there came a time when my parents decided we needed to change schools. They sacrificed to get us into a Catholic school in the nearby city.
Picture this.
You are (anywhere in your house)...
Your phone is (where you are not)...
...and it rings.
...and you RUN to find it then answer it before voicemail or the answering machine gets it.
For those of us that remember, there was a time when our phone was attached to the wall - or connected by a long cord. I recall as a kid many times being outside somewhere on our 10-acre property and hearing the phone ring. I would sprint to grab the phone before the caller gave up. Yes, that was well before answering machines. You always had a chance at getting it on the 15th or so ring because people gave you time to get to the phone. At some point, phones became cordless and the dash was to grab the cordless only to discover it had lost it's charge and you had to find one of the connected phones - or worse, the caller hung up. Today, many of us have multiple cordless phones around our homes coupled with cell phones. Many people have completely ditched the landline and survive solely on their cell phones. Whatever the case, when the phone rings, the dash is usually to FIRST locate the phone THEN answer it before the call goes to voicemail. With only one phone, a cell, you only have one shot.
Things are about to change though.
Anyone that knows me knows that I'm not the cook in the
family. Actually, anyone that attended my wedding heard the priest tell the
story of me burning the grilled cheese. My kids even joke that when the smoke
detector is going off, mom must be making dinner instead of dad. Saddest joke
is when we invite my folks over for dinner, my mom confirms that DH is cooking before she confirms whether they plan to eat with us.
I grew up on Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Coco Puffs, Trix, and Lucky Charms. I remember the top of our refrigerator was lined up with more cereals than we needed. I associate most of them with Saturday morning cartoons and all the innocence of being a child. I enjoyed especially those times when all was left was the sweet sugary milk in the bowl and I could drink it straight up; sort of like drinking the melted ice-cream in your bowl after it's all gone. You want every last drop. Those were the days. Now, in my grown up life, it would be a treat to have at least one bowl of Coco Puffs. I would have to sneak that in the house or bribe my husband to buy a box. How could I justify buying a box of that? Today, we buy healthy cereals or close to it. Is there such a thing? Well, I think Cheerios comes close. With a preschooler and a toddler in our house, Cheerios has always been a winner. We eat it all the time, including myself.
