Time

There is a saying that tragedy + time = comedy.  And that's true. What they don't tell you is, the older you get, the less time required.

Last Thursday, I sat on I-75 South for three hours to move five miles.  Yeah, it was torture.  But then, I got off the interstate, and I eventually made it to my destination - my family's mountain cabin.

The next morning, I realized I did not have the tools needed to complete some work I had to do, so I took myself to the nearest Walmart (a 45 minute drive) and bought a push lawnmower.  I spent five hours mowing grass when I could have sucked it up and begged for mercy and help.  I do not like to be a damsel in distress, so I'd rather push my limits and a lawn mower.  I'm proud of my accomplishments.

That night, I gritted my teeth and took two Benadryl in lieu of a pain reliever, because we didn't have any at the cabin.  Well, we did, but it was expired six years ago, and was basically a bottle of gritty lumps.  Pass.

The next morning, I woke up and went to our annual meeting.  We took care of business, and I cadged a pair of Advil from a grownup more prepared than me.   Thank you, Katie.  For reals.

After the meeting I did some party prep, then took a nap and waited for Mom, her pugs and her boyfriend to arrive.  When they did, Mom had been sick in the car and needed to clean up a bit.  Her boyfriend needed a sandwich, the dogs were wandering all over hell, and it was a little chaotic. 

We all got settled, and that's when the rain began.  Buckets of it.  Just everywhere. Boyfriend was napping, and a few minutes into the storm, I realized his trunk was open.  I went and slammed it shut.  I figured with an hour til the party, nobody was going to come.  So I suggested we hold it indoors, and started fixing the chairs for that option.  

At which point, the rain had stopped.  So we did a quick pivot and ran around getting the outdoor space.  And by we, I mean me.  I was trying to also stay out of boyfriend's way while he patted down a few items from his trunk that were wet.  I was also encouraging my mother to change into her party attire, and I stole a few minutes to do the same.

The party went perfectly - the kids had fun, the grownups had fun, and nobody got sick, or hurt, or whatever.  It just came off at the last second.

Then, we cleaned up, I took a disco nap, and we drove to the pond for fireworks. They were awesome.  I got to hang out with a bunch of people I adore, and we cheered and laughed and clapped.

We got back to the cabin and slept like logs from the pugs to the people. I got up the next morning, spent some time packing and chatting with Mom, and got back on the road.

I made it home in record time.

The rest of the weekend was pretty dull, but I was able to scrub off a few layers of dirt, attend to bug bites, and cool off for the first time since I got to Georgia.

The bad traffic, the lawn issues, lack of pain meds, cramped damp spaces, uncertainty - it had plenty of  quasi tragic moments, but I look back on in now?  

Great weekend.  Perfect.

ae