We have very generous friends: they invite us up to their summer retreat each year where we can unplug, eat great food, and catch up. Before kids, we used to leisurely read the Sunday paper, go to the local bookstore for hours, and float on the pond for the rest of the hours left in the day. Ruth grew up spending her summers here, and the place is full of stories and memories. When you walk in, you step back in time. There are some things that are done and have been done for many generations: blueberry muffins made from the blueberries you pick right out the door; leisurely dinners where, if you are lucky, you can catch a firefly or lightening show that dazzles; reading dusty old books that are out of print but somehow capture the weight of the time we are currently living in; and reconnecting with a slower pace.
Sure, stuff still happens. Here is a shot of my husband trying to flush out the bug that flew into his ear. No luck so he headed off to the ER...a few ear drops and he is good as new.
I went on a run that I have been doing for about 10 years and bonked...then I dropped the F bomb in front of a house with a bunch of toys out front, on Sunday, no less. Still, I was running with Dave who has the gift of making me feel like anything is worth it, if you get a good story out of the deal. This is the same guy who sat with my husband in the waiting room while I was having heart surgery in December. I hope we thanked him for that.
So, this summer I hope you are all connecting with old friends, even if things have changed some, you know they are in for the long haul.
In ten years, on this yearly summer weekend away with dear friends, you'll be regaling each other with "remember when a bug flew in Scott's ear...?"
ReplyDeleteI keep hitting my head against the wall knowing that I want to create wonderful summer experience memories for my boy (which you summed up nicely for me in this entry). But I guess, for now, it's going to be grand museums and smoggy NY streets. With Betsy's nursing schedule we can't see any real vacation options in the near future.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever tried that ear cone thingy? You lay down on your side and stick the cone in your ear then set it on fire... it sucks anything and everything right on out. I've cured many an ear ache with them. Old man Frank who lived next door (and had the moving/storage company) complained of an ear ache once and how he'd gone to a couple of Dr.s that couldn't help him... I put his head in my lap and fired up a cone and sucked 30 years of wax from his head. He often talked about that healing experience. It really caught him off guard, the success of the alternative.