Today was mostly back to normal. And by normal, I mean the arguing had been quelled and things were back to chaos as usual.
I woke up late to dark gray skies and the relaxing sound of rain rhythmically beating against the roof. It is extra difficult to wake up on a morning like that. I think I could have slept all day long if not for some interruption. I’m not even sure what it was that triggered my eyes to open. But they did, and I left my strange dream behind to reenter the real world of dogs, and teenagers, and a husband who was less than happy with me.
It felt like I was home alone. Mike went to the office to work, Lauren was in school, Alexa was asleep, and so were the dogs.
It gave me time to get to work.
I had things to write, and clothes to wash. I did four loads of laundry before lunch. Well...before I ate lunch. It was closer to midday on the clock. Still, I had accomplished several of the things I set out to accomplish, and there was still plenty of day left. Thanks to the steady rain that continued to fall outside, I had no inclination to leave the house.
I did eventually leave. The rain had finally slowed to a drizzle by the time I went to dinner with my son. It was a nice little respite from the doldrums of the chaos machine that is my life these days. By the time I got back home, Mike was waiting.
We talked for a while—no arguing this time—and came to what I can only describe as an impasse. The truth is...life is never exactly what you plan. Marriage doesn’t play out like a 1950’s sitcom. And teenagers will eventually grow out of it—whatever that may be. I’m pretty sure about these things. I may not have lived my whole life yet, but I’ve certainly seen enough to know the basics.
When I was a kid I got the Game of Life for Christmas one year. My sisters and I played it almost non-stop for the longest time, thinking that we had it all figured out.
I was eight.
But now that I'm all grown up, I realize that life is not a game. It doesn't always follow the rules, sometimes people cheat, and the babies you collect can't just be tossed back into the box when you're tired of playing. But as hard as the real game of life is, I still want to play...all the way til the end.
Until the next time...I’ll be setting up the board for another round!