Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Seasons


All the anticipation for time off left me restless and agitated when those days actually arrived. I wanted to keep going at top speed- get those closets cleaned out, that deck repaired and painted, the doors and trim painted, and some dumpster projects transformed, like they do it on the blogs that make it look so easy.
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But wandering from clutter to laundry to to-do list left me frustrated, lethargic, and unmotivated.
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I found Brian in the yard. He was sitting on his "Ken bench", sipping a Moosehead, and listening to a complilation of tunes from Folk Fest 2010.
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It seemed like the right thing to do.
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As we sat, and listened, and looked; I noticed how ravishingly beautiful the yard was. How all that labour and busyness had blossomed into green, yellow, poppy, and daisy.
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Away from the lists and the internal dialogue, I thought of my one-time neighbour Ginny. Her children went to bed with sand between their toes and dandelion wreaths in their hair. Their clothes lay twisted and soiled, kicked in corners and under beds. They lived in swimwear with traces of ketchup on their faces. Outdoors, the table on the stone deck held their dinner dishes while the splash pool waited for tomorrow.
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Ginny would be watering perennials, and exchanging the outdoor dinner dishes for a potted begonia. While the evening sounds came alive she'd sip her amaretto on ice and chat with the neighbours over the fence.
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Summer was for summer.
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The rest would rest
for other seasons.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

You've put words to my internal battle...go out and enjoy summer with the kids or sort laundry in the dank basement? Hm. Should be a no-brainer but for some reason I end-up feeling guilty about relaxing during the summertime.

joyce said...

I so get it. I struggle all the time with this because I am a DOer. But the kids need us to slow down, look them in the eye, dellight in them. And we need to soak in the green of the grass, the face of the daisy, the wind in the trees. Just picture how your yard looks in January, and then you'll be way more motivated to GET OUT THERE!!

Lisa said...

I didn't know what my internal struggle was until I read this. Thanks for giving me words to feelings I couldn't understand - and for the answer to said struggle. I appreciate your wisdom Joyce, and that you so willingly share it with us.

joyce said...

well, just to give credit where it is due... it's ginny who has the wisdom. I still spend a fair bit of time at the dank laundry stage..

Anonymous said...

Beautiful, Joyce. So, can you come over for a visit and some gin in the very near future? I'd love it.
.e.

Karla said...

I need more Ginny in my life. Oh, and more you too.

Anonymous said...

As I sit on the eve of vacay... and am struggling between lists and plans. It is my son that sets my course. Could I help him sew a Les Stroud crayfish trap?
why yes.
and it works!
Ginny
ps. catch and release, until we find a market!