RB (tugging on LB's skirt) Hey. Hey.
LB (busily scribbling on a notepad) Hmmm. yeah, inaminit
RB Watcha doin'. Hey. Hey. I'm feeling funny.
LB Yeah, yeah, be with ya in a minnute.
RB No. Now. I'm getting scared. What are you doing?
LB (Looking up from the notebook) I'm making a list of everything we're going to do on this vacation! It's a great list! Lookee!
RB Waaaaaaa! You don't love me any more.
LB (Looking shocked) What? Of course I love you - you're the other side of me. What's wrong?
RB It's our VA
CATION and you're making one of those awful TTD lists! I want to play!
LB Well, yeah. sure. I'm writing that on the list. See? Here? Number 8 ... PLAY
RB You're crazy. You can't schedule play. Play means you aren't responsible for anything. Play means fun. Play means you don't have to accomplish anything!
LB So. So? Where on this list does it say we have to accomplish anything when we're playing?
RB I know you. You will say No Play before ticking stuff off that list. I know you. this will be nothing but chores and werk and werk and chores.
LB No it won't. Look at the rest of this list. See?
- Clean House
- Work on the kitchen cabinets - organize those last 2 messes
- Work on the spare bedroom - one hour a day minimum
- Work in the garden
- Work out
- Read
- Draw
- Play
- Visit Mama
RB Yeah. I see that you want to work almost all the time. Werk in the kitchen werk in the garden werk out. wekr werk werk I hate this list.
LB What? Don't you like a clean house? I thought we'd agreed that house cleaning is really just caressing our favorite possessions - the ones we bought or collected and brought into our lives.
RB Well. Yeah. I do love all our stuff. I just wish there wasn't so much cleaning to do.
LB Yeah. I understand that. But we live with guys. And dogs. On a farm. Down a dirt lane. It's just the way it is - there's cleaning to do and we have to do it. Besides - it only takes a few hours a week. You know that.
RB (sighing) yeah. I know. but it's #1 on the list. what kind of vacation is that?
LB Oh. well. Yeah. I see. but don't you want to start this vacation in a sparkly clean house?
RB I guess so.
LB Let's see how things go today - we can put this off till tomorrow
RB Thanks. But there's still too much work on that list.
LB Well - don't you want to work in the garden? Don't you want to have that spare bedroom ready for summer guests? Frances and Audrey will be here in 3 weeks.
RB (sighing again) Yeah. I do want them.
LB so - if you want it - you gotta go get it.
RB I just wish you didn't have so much work on that stupid list. I feel like the whole vacation will be nothing but work. I'd rather go to work where I don't have to work so hard.
LB Oh. Hmm. I see. Hmmm. Yeah. Okay - how's this for a Better List?
- Start with a beautiful, sparkly clean house
- Play in the kitchen cabinets - toss out all that crap we hate and create beautifully functioning organized spaces for everything we want. Never be ashamed if someone opens a cabinet door again.
- Begin the transformation of the spare junk room into an oasis of organization and calm - maybe even take it over for our bedroom - it's bigger than the one we use now. Sit down with those boxes of family photos and letters and decide how we will store and share them. Own that space. Make it ours. Retrieve it from the Lord Of Chaos and Shame.
- Dig the soft crumbly earth in the garden and nestle those little vegetable plants in their new homes where they can grow delicious food for summer meals that we'll serve out on the porch.
- Give our body the exercise it longs for - stretching, moving, lifting - everything that makes it feel vigorous and thriving.
- Read
- Draw
- Play
- Visit Mama
RB Ooooo. Yeah. That's a MUCH better list
LB (smiling) Well good. I'm glad you like it. Man – this is going to be a fabulous vacation.
RB One thing more, though. Can you put Play first?
LB (laughing) You betcha! Love you
RB Love you more
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ReplyDeleteHave happy holidays with both sides of yer brain, eh?
ReplyDeleteHugs!