2.20.2012

People Who Matter

I am grateful for calm, quiet, days like today. In which my kids and I get to hang out with lovely people like Rachel, who will walk with us in redwood forests, and stop to take pictures of fallen-tree -loving fungus:


And wait, not cajole or prod, while we encourage Leo to sit for a picture:


Who have the patience to look for pebbles at the beach...


And hopefully not laugh too hard at me when I try to get Leo to tell me what color these pebbles are, while he -- so done with answering silly questions that he knows I know he already knows -- will cheekily and consistently tell me the wrong answer three times in a row.


And who doesn't give Leo a funny look while he's enjoying the pebbles in his way.



And who is just damn fine company.

We can be an overwhelming crew, but I hope we weren't too overwhelming today -- that we weren't just taking. Sometimes, in our quest for pleasantness, we're not always aware when things become less-than-pleasant for those caught in our gyre.

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Update: Completely forgot to mention Leo using novel language -- honest-to-goodness scripting! We've rarely seen this before, but Rachel was there and can testify: When a fallen branch blocked the trail, and Rachel picked it up so Leo and I could pass, Leo declared "The mail must go through!" That is the title and refrain of one of his favorite songs: "No matter if it rains or snows, the mail must go through."

I told him it was a great analogy -- borrowing others' already-assembled words to comment on a similar, at-hand scenario is often the function of scripted language. Then I beamed. And then I promptly forgot to document it.

8 comments:

  1. I love that I have a couple dear friends who are like your friend Rachel and not only embrace my boys for who they are as they are but celebrate it too.

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  2. Ash has one "fake" (aka, more REAL than the "real" ones) auntie and uncle that, as Sunday said, both accept and celebrate Ash for who he is, and who WANT to be a part of his life as he lives it. Unfortunately, they live 7 hours away and can only make 1-2 day visits to us, a few times a year -- that tends to get in the way of a lot of, oh, say, pebble hunts. It didn't stop them from, oh, say, making a SURPRISE visit for Ash's Kindergarten graduation last year, though.

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  3. I not only love that you got to spend time with Rachel, but also that you linked to her post today which was just what I needed. You're amazing! ;-)

    Seriously, this post and the pictures made me smile a deep, from-the-heart-not-the-brain smile.

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  4. The right people can hold us aloft.

    It really was lovely, and I am so grateful. When I'm in an overwhelmed mood it is not always easy to arrange a pleasant day that my kids enjoy that doesn't grind me to paste. Rachel was perfect company. I just hope we didn't grind her to paste!

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  5. Leo is channeling Herodotus! (the original source of the quote about letter carriers making it thru sleet and snow all of that). Love how he used that phrase; Charlie similarly uses words and phrases in such metaphorical ways.

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  6. This post brings a smile to my face. I can tell Leo loves adventure, and I notice we both share the same respect and fascination with pebbles. Very cool!

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  7. What fun spending time with friends who understand is. Calming and relaxing and a quiet kind of peace. I like Leo's script. When Alex was young and his favorite babysitter would show up he would quote Tigger from Winnie the Pooh, "It's Party Time!"

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  8. Lots of smiles, glad to hear that Leo's got a natural sense of Classics, that other people appreciate and use pebbles and scripting too.

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