sue’s Neighborhood

I say, "Bundle up, we're going for a walk in the cold,"

And without missing a single beat you say, "BUNDLING!"

 

And of course -- of course! -- you have to check the temperature of the water.

Because that's the kind of girl you've always been.

 

 

"You can see how excited he is!" you said, without a trace of sarcasm.

 

Jacques had other ideas however...

Is this what it feels like to have nothing to do and nowhere to be?

Yes, and I love it. I did not even stir until 10 am, and didn't do anything remotely resembling productive for a good hour beyond that.

Todd and Jesse went to see Avatar. I took Libby to a kids' yoga class. I also consumed approximately two pounds of sugar by the early evening. Oh, I went running for the first time since October. It snowed.

A perfectly satisfactory day.

 

Here is the church...

 

here is the steeple...

 

open the doors...

 

and here are the people

 

Close the doors...

 

hear them pray...

 

Open the doors

 

they've all gone away.

 

I bought chocolates for Libby's teacher. Twice.

Then I ate them. Twice.

My laptop wouldn't connect to the internet yesterday, hence no post. Which was just was well; not a great day,

 including a final exam in Shakespeare capable of reducing capable people to tears.

 

 GRE tomorrow = paroxysms of anxiety.

No, that's not a GRE vocabulary word.

Well, it might be. I wouldn't know. Despite all of my good intentions, I never did find time to study for it.

I did find time to have fun with Libby doing this though.

Priorities, you know?

My husband has a Pre-Vet bachelor's degree, a master's degree in Veterinary Parasitology, and a PhD in Medical Microbiology.

My mother has a bachelor's degree, my father a master's in Education.

My sisters Beth and Esther have degrees in Spanish and Midwifery, respectively.

My little brother is in his last year of medical school, before he begins a cardiology residency.

My three sisters-in-law (Todd's sisters) have between them three bachelor's degree; two of them have already started work towards their master's, one is in the process of applying for a master's program.

My father-in-law has a law degree.

Of my six brothers-in-law, one has a law degree, one a master's in accounting, one a psychology degree, one a bachelor's in social work, one is in medical school (like my brother), one is working on his PhD.

Is it any wonder that I feel like the least educated person in my family? It's because I am!

The idea of why we do this to ourselves is on my mind during finals week as I wrap up this 21-credit hour semester. While I should be revising for my Shakespeare 442 final tomorrow, I am instead reflecting on the alternatives* -- what I would be doing if I wasn't battering my mind against religious dissent in the Middle Ages (and other topics of that ilk).  I remind myself that while I may be the least educated person in my immediate circle -- surrounded as I am by those with multiple graduate degrees -- I am also accomplishing something that three quarters of the population will have neither the opportunity, nor perhaps the ability or desire to accomplish. All of this work will be worth it when I model for my kids the value of education, and when they see the legacy they have been left by their parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles.

*And stuffing my face with chocolate. That goes hand-in-hand with finals. 

 

We went to a living nativity tonight. Libby is now desperate to convert to the church that put it on. "So, how exactly do you join a church?" she has asked me at least half a dozen times.

 

 

 

"I was wondering," she said, "why there are only two tickets?"

"Because just you and I are going," I replied.

"WOO HOO!" was her response.

On the way home, we belted out a duet of "Silent Night" which was exquisite...ly painful to hear.

"It's not a competition for who does more to help around the house. But if it was, I'd be winning."

We both think we do the most. Nothing will change our minds.

Kids to school. American Women Poets. Current Political Ideology. Black Women Writers. Presentation. Errands. Medieval Drama. Libby's strings concert. Order pizza. Jacques is two!  Beer. Glee with the kids. Night night.