Last Week...
My sister Carolyn is a single, working mother who lives near Kailua Village on Hawaii. Last week when the tsunmai hit her side of the island she spent an entire night staring wide eyed into the darkness, listening to the tsunami warning sirens wail as her house shook from the volcano's earthquakes beneath them. Her three sons stayed fast asleep in their beds. It was scary, she told me, but it was even more scary that it was up to me to keep them safe if anything went wrong.
That sort of statement makes me cringe. It reminds me that the Pacific Ocean sits between us, a reality that only occurs to me sometimes, while I'm certain it is a reality that stays with my sister all the time.
Last week my sister RiLee left on a trip to Iceland with her friends. One of the things I admire most about RiLee is that she doesn't have time to sit around feeling bad that she is in her mid-thirties and still single. She tries to live with no regrets! She works hard and plays hard, and every spring she and some of her single friends take an extravagant foregin vacation. These past few days, every time I load my dishwasher I smile to myself and think, RiLee is in Iceland. Lucky Duck!
My sister Vauna adopted an Irish Setter two weeks ago. Apparently their Great Dane, who is nearly as tall as Vauna, needed a playmate. Last week Vauna was driving home from work when her boyfriend called. Bad news. The new dog pooped all over her son's room...on his bed, carpet, the walls. After a long week at work, Vauna spent her weekend disinfecting and carpet cleaning. (I listened to this story and then promptly informed my children, "If you are really, really good, maybe someday we'll get a goldfish as a pet!")
It's comforting to imagine that we all "get" each other. That we can understand what the other person is going through. Last week was a good reminder that while there are certainly common denominators among women, our fears, adventures, and dog-day disappointments are entirely our own.
That sort of statement makes me cringe. It reminds me that the Pacific Ocean sits between us, a reality that only occurs to me sometimes, while I'm certain it is a reality that stays with my sister all the time.
Last week my sister RiLee left on a trip to Iceland with her friends. One of the things I admire most about RiLee is that she doesn't have time to sit around feeling bad that she is in her mid-thirties and still single. She tries to live with no regrets! She works hard and plays hard, and every spring she and some of her single friends take an extravagant foregin vacation. These past few days, every time I load my dishwasher I smile to myself and think, RiLee is in Iceland. Lucky Duck!
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It's comforting to imagine that we all "get" each other. That we can understand what the other person is going through. Last week was a good reminder that while there are certainly common denominators among women, our fears, adventures, and dog-day disappointments are entirely our own.
This kind of remembering inspires generosity of spirit, and compassion, don't you think?
Urk. The dog poo incident. Poor Vauna. A word to the wise - I wouldn't get a gold fish either. They stink. Stick with zhu zhus.
ReplyDeleteI kill fish. An Irish Setter seemed the better option at the time. Luckily I have a log-suffering boyfriend who had the bed stripped and preliminary cleanup underway by the time I got home!
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