May 15, 2008 | Friends and Family, Kids
I had a very touching moment with my eldest son last night. There was a rather nasty pile of dirty dishes in the sink late yesterday afternoon and I decided to climb in and get them cleaned. A little while later, my boy came to me and said: “Thank you for washing the dishes Mom.” Thud. My jaw hit the ground. Never, ever, not once in his life has he done that – expressed any kind verbal appreciation for some chore I’ve done in the house. Now this may not seem like a big deal to most people, but those of you who know us will understand that this was HUGE! It completely melted me, tears welled up in my eyes and I just tingled all over. That was a major deposit into my emotional bank account =)
Sometimes, just a few simple words or a small action can make all the difference in how we relate to people, don’t you think?
Take Sir G for instance – there isn’t a day that goes by that he doesn’t tell me how beautiful I am, how sexy I am, or how amazing I am.
And my Mom – she helps me so much every day, in so many, many ways, and she’s just told me that she’s been reading my blog and she feels proud to be my mom.
Then there’s my Dad – he regularly checks in with me to see how I’m coping, he sends me links to pages on the internet he thinks I’ll find useful in my life and he constantly reminds me that I am stronger than I think.
Each person’s small acts of giving adds up to help build trust and create a safe zone where I feel comfortable revealing more of myself to them and the relationship is in turn strengthened.
Of course, the giving and receiving should balance out over time and that’s something I’m becoming increasingly aware of. Some people in my life have made huge withdrawals and gone into the red. I find myself trusting these people less and less as they take more and more.
I know I have done the same in the past and I need to take a long hard look at where my relationships with important people in my life stand and see where simple, sincere acts of kindness and showing of appreciation on my part can make their lives better and strengthen our bond. There are some loved ones who stick by me through very dark times, times when I know I dish out some awful stuff. Yet they never judge me, criticize me or blame me. They have always and continue to show me love and support. I think I have a lot of catching up to do …
May 12, 2008 | Gym, Movies, Out and About
I thought Saturday night was going to be dull, boring and tiresome and it totally lived up to my expectations. Throw shrieking kids, horrible bright lighting and some really awful music into the mix and it was all a bit of a nightmare! And the food, well, the bread was nice =) I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Shame, I guess I shouldn’t be too judgmental; apparently that was their first attempt at a potjie, so kudos for effort and bravery …
Yesterday was nice and relaxing. I’ve managed to get the lounge organized and looking half decent so we lit a fire and spent the afternoon watching the last day of the English Premier League. It was down to the wire – the whole league was to be decided from yesterday’s games – either Chelsea or Man United. Sir G is an avid Chelsea supporter, so I naturally took up Man U’s cause, just to irritate him =) Chelsea had to win their game and Man U had to either draw or lose theirs. Chelsea did not have a good day – they drew the game, they lost their captain, John Terry only 10 minutes into the game and Man U won. These 2 teams face each other on the 21st in the UEFA Champion’s League in Moscow, so that should be a very interesting game to watch. It only starts at 9pm though. Hope I can stay awake.
After the soccer, we watched “The Pursuit of Happyness” with Will Smith and his little boy playing the leads. It’s a rather moving flick, based on a true story, of a man’s struggle to earn a living and look after his child. The story is simple, but the characterization is excellent, the writing and acting is stellar and the message is both hard hitting and inspiring. Some may think the message is about money buying happiness; I view it as being about pursuing a dream and not giving up, no matter how the odds are stacked against you. I also view it as a depiction of extreme bonding between father and son, and the sacrificing lengths a loving parent will go to, to nurture and provide the very best they can for their children. Will Smith give a fantastic performance in this movie, I highly recommend seeing it.
I am off to gym just now for the first time in 3 weeks – AAARGH!!! I am not looking forward to it at all. I think I am going to be really sore tomorrow. And the weather is revolting at the moment – it’s blowing a gale and raining and pretty chilly. It’s a “wild and woolly” day, as my darling, late gran would say =)
May 9, 2008 | Life at Home, Out and About, Work
Gosh, it’s Friday already! Man, this week has just zoomed past so quickly and I am still waaay behind on work – got 2 more biggish things to do before Monday and then I think I will have finally caught up. So yes, gonna have to unfortunately put in a few hours over the weekend.
I’ll also have to do the usual weekend clean up and go shopping for some food. I absolutely HATE shopping and I DETEST cleaning, so this is something I dread about weekends. Sometimes I think my life is just one long endless list of chores … I am no domestic goddess, that’s for sure.
Other than that, there’s a gathering at a friend’s house tomorrow night. Well, not my friends but Sir G’s friends. I have met them once or twice, so it won’t be THAT awkward, but I don’t think it’s going to be much fun compared to what it was SUPPOSED to be. Originally, it was going to be a whacky Pimps and Hoes thing, but with a twist: the guys had to dress up as the hoes!! What a riot! Would have been crazy fun =) But now, sadly, it has deteriorated into a Potjie. How the hell did that happen? From a wild, fun party to a pot of stew!! Urgh, so not in the mood for it …. And to make things even worse, we have to PAY for this sad, unappetizing little affair too. BWAHAHA! Creating good potjiekos is a real art and I haven’t come across many good “pot food” chefs before. Oh well …. Think I’ll just avoid the food and eat before we brave the long, cold drive out to their place (and take a whole bunch of liquor!)
Sunday is Mother’s Day – no idea what’s happening. The kids are with their dad this weekend which is a welcome break for me, it’s been weeks since I had the house to myself, but I guess I’ll miss them on Sunday ….
