Mundane, FUndane

 

Another week of boring, same-old same-old. I kind of love it. I’m trying to remember to appreciate the mundane, because honestly, MY mundane is a pretty big treat. I have a nice house, very wonderful dogs, a pretty nice family, necessities covered. My humdrum day of sitting outside with a book and a glass of wine is legit vacation for a lot of folks.

Hold on just a sec! Is this a thought of, like, an old person? I feel like probably a lot of old people have this thought. But hey, if Antonio Banderas is covering AARP Magazine, SIGN ME ALL THE WAY UP!

You don’t have to be old to be content. Heck, I know plenty of old folks who are not at all content. I bet life experience and “enough” past excitement are helpful though. As a youngster, excitement is usually pretty fun, but as responsibilities accumulate, excitement morphs into college finals, work drama, having babies and not sleeping for five years straight, aging parents, the list goes on.

I’m also grateful for this breather, because it allows me to be calm-ish as my kids transition into adulthood and face turmoil of their own. It’s like sprinkling them with tranquility as they face challenges in life, and you can’t do this unless you are pretty full of it yourself. Good thing I AM full of it!! Sometimes they are so riled up that you kind of have to hurl it at them quickly or be sneaky and slip it in when they least expect it.

This week Chris is in Philadelphia moving into a new apartment that he will not be living in for the foreseeable future since Drexel is all online until further notice. Moving ALWAYS sucks. Add in the heat and traffic and crowdedness of Philly, planning the move from across the country, AND COVID, and typical relo anxiety explodes.

Chris and his roommates had a solid plan. Two of the guys live on the East Coast and one has an SUV. But alas, the best-laid plans…...TWO DAYS before Chris was scheduled to fly to Philly, a car crashed into the house he was supposed to move into. It was a terrible accident involving a 19-year-old driver, killing two pedestrians and injuring another. “The impact of the crash was so severe it sent one of the victims flying…into the front door of a nearby vacant property. Her body landed in the living room.” THE SAME LIVING ROOM THAT CHRIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BRING HIS COUCH TODAY.

We were all stunned and saddened, feeling so fortunate that we have the chance to recover, unlike the poor ladies who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time while picking up some dinner. Chris had a couple of days to make completely new arrangements, and he pulled things together so beautifully with a little help from some really good college friends. AND ME. I’m just going to take this moment to claim a little credit for being SUCH A CHILL MOM that I’m am AT LEAST 78-percent certain that some of that Mom-Chill rubbed off on my son when he needed it most.

Chris let me know this afternoon that he got all his things to the warehouse. He seemed relatively calm, and I hope he feels really triumphant. He’s staying with a friend for the next couple of nights in a sketchy area in West Philly. This is probably the same place where The Fresh Prince met those coupla guys who were up to no-good. I hope Chris doesn’t get murdered. This is one of my regular worries when Chris is in Philly, but he assures me each time I fret. “Mom. There are a lot of people walking around that are much more murder-able than I am.”

I’m grateful for a million things. That Chris and his buddies were NOT in the house at the time of the accident and that they have new place to stay. That Chris so successfully navigated this obstacle. That my family is alive and well, content with the mundane. Also for David Sedaris who made me laugh all week with this joke from his book “Theft by Finding.”

Q: Do you know how to bake toilet paper?

A: No, but I know how to brown it on one side.

 

I wish you a week overflowing with chill. Thank you for reading, my friends!!