You know the old saying, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans?"
Last night, I was thinking that I was really looking forward to tomorrow (which
is now today) - my one and only quiet day at home this week. We were due
for more snow overnight and the temps will be drastically falling to below zero.
Which meant it'd be a perfect day for getting some Christmas baking done
and maybe even curling up on the sofa for a bit and reading my novel. Ha!
Not meant to be. (Insert photo of beautiful kitty in a sunbeam.)
I had a message on my phone this morning from my neighbor-friend's husband.
My friend had been in New York City this weekend visiting her ill friend, and fell off
a curb in Times Square, breaking her foot in three places, as well as her ankle. Not
only is this bad enough in itself, but my friend had recently been very ill herself, just
getting out of the hospital around Thanksgiving. One of those, are-you-kidding-me-
enough-is-enough stories.
My friend's husband wanted to know if I could come and let their dogs out a
couple of times tomorrow and Sunday while he was at work. He also said that
my friend would like a visitor. Of course, I will walk across the street and visit
with my friend today, but I will not go empty-handed. Normally, my friend loves to
cook and make healthy meals for herself and her husband, but since she's now
in a cast up to her knee and on crutches, I doubt she'll be doing much cooking.
So, I immediately started making a pot of soup. This is what my kitchen looks
like this morning while making soup, baking cookies, making myself some toast
and coffee for breakfast, and getting a package ready (on the table) to mail out.
The thing is ~ the irony of all this is not lost on me. I've been in a real funk these
past couple of weeks, stressing over finances, not liking having to go to physical
therapy twice a week, concerned about certain broken familial relationships,
thinking about what I could do to bring in some income, and other "life stuff".
It was all weighing very heavily on me and boy, was I pissy lately.
Side note: I just noticed in the photo below that there is a jar of split peas on
the counter. Not lentils like the Jamie Oliver soup recipe called for. Oops.
Doing several things at once = distraction.
I think today was a wake-up call to get out of myself. Give me something to
think about and do other than concentrating on myself. Because you know what?
Everyone is broken in some way. Everyone's life is messy. And the more you
wallow in your own pity, the more cranky and self-serving you become.
So, while the accidental soup is simmering on the stove and the cookies are in the
oven baking, I will wash all those dishes by hand (another thing "making" me cranky
- my dishwasher's been broken for over a month) and give my thanks that I
am physically able to do all these things. I'd rather have a messy kitchen than
a messy soul.
Linking up to Green Willow Pond: What We Accomplished Wednesday
