The Real Us

What a few weeks we've had. Babysitting there. Covid there. (Daddy-O) Little people here. Covid's first cousin here. (Mimi) Those three weeks are mostly a blur for me. But this morning the sun is shining and I feel better. 

The older girls skipped coming here for their spring break. Decided we didn't need a germ swap.  But the following week Jessica and the littles came anyway. She rightly said, "We've already had everything. Plus, you probably caught your germs from Little Man while babysitting!" And it all worked out. Jessica kept groceries in the kitchen and everyone fed while I was just an observer. The littles mostly played outside. Two doctors told me to stay indoors. We live in an area of the country with an extremely high pollen count. Then toward the end of the week as I started to feel better we had a good rain that washed the air. So I got to join them outside for a couple of days and sit in the sun and watch them play.

It certainly wasn't the week we had planned. But we made good memories all the same. And I learned a thing or two. Uncle Todd (we need a better blog name for him now) had invited a friend from London to spend the night here before they went to the Masters. He was very careful to ask if it was still okay since I wasn't feeling up to par. (Doctor assured me I wasn't contagious.) And I told him sure. As long as he and the friend were okay with our house in an "as is" condition. Toys everywhere. No extra straightening up. No doing the fluffing up I usually do before visitors arrive. No special meal served at a well set table.  

I planted myself in the rocking chair in the kitchen and watched. I watched his friend sit in the floor and play Candyland with the kids. And I watched the young men enjoying our glorious outdoors, driving the vintage Jeep and 4-wheeler through the pasture, shooting clays. Things he couldn't do in London. How glad I was that a son-in-law wanted to bring a friend here. 

And I thought about how many times I've worn myself out getting ready for visitors. Haven't we all? This time it was "Take us like we are." And the real us seemed to be good enough. No magazine worthy house. Not that I ever achieve that but I try. That usually would bother me. But this time these bookshelves where books are mixed with all the things set up high out of harms way look perfect to me. This is real life. This is our life.