Hi and Lo

Before I had children, I used to go to movies. Sometimes I would even go see a movie by myself, after work or school, without anyone knowing where I was. It was my secret, slightly guilty pleasure. Now that I have children, I rarely go to the movies and I seldom see a movie in it's entirety, even in the comfort of my own home. Instead, when I find myself without my children for a length of time, I have a million things to do, including just sitting silently and staring out the window. I happened to be staring out the window today when I saw this:

I don't know how, why or when the little mermaid was lynched, but there she was, hanging helplessly, and I know who did this to her. I'll give you one guess.

Back to the movies, I remember one afternoon in particular when I left class and went to see The Story of Us. I have seen it several times since and I still love it. One of my favorite scenes is when the family is gathered around the table for dinner, an occasion we're led to believe happens on a regular basis, and each member of the family shares his high and low for the day - the best and the worst, the up and the down, the yin and the yang. I remember thinking what a great family tradition this daily exchange would be when I had a family of my own, but so far, no luck. Instead I've decided to share my high and my low here, with you. This might be a one time feature, or a weekly installment, or perhaps a random occurrence, but regardless, here's my very first hi and lo.

Since I'm the kind of person who likes to hear the good news first, here is the highlight of my week. We were eating lunch Monday, which was of course Veteran's Day, and discussing the veterans we knew and what it meant to be a veteran, when Aidan said, "I'm a veteran now. I don't eat meat anymore, only bacon." What a sweetheart he is, even if he does tie up helpless toys and leave them for dead.

The low occurred the following day when I was visiting a friend, and the man who stopped by to fix her stove told us that he was taking the next week and a half off to stay home and play Mr. Mom. His wife has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is having surgery today. My heart goes out to her and her family, and I wish her a speedy and successful recovery. All of my petty concerns and stresses melted away as I realized how fortunate we are to be in good health.

I believe we need the highs and lows in our lives, as much as we need equilibrium and disequilibrium. It is nature's system of checks and balances; it keeps us real. If you are inclined to share, I'd love to hear your high and low. Your comments always keep me real and I love it when they give me food for thought. I've enjoyed all your good advice this week, and if you haven't shared your two cents and your favorite cookie yet, you have until Sunday. Wishing you more highs than lows this weekend.