Sleeping ok? Yup!

My youngest granddaughter doesn't like to sleep through the night. She prefers to jabber, sing, dance, thrash, and generally let her presence be known. 

At 2 she is usually ready for bed by 6 p.m. and can barely function past that time, but check her at 2p.m. and she's vocal and alert. 

 If her older brother gets up to use the bathroom she sings out, "Hi, Karl." She will report on the whereabouts of everyone in the house i.e. "Nia...sleeping. Domi...sleeping. Mama...sleeping etc." It's especially irritating if you are on the list and are awakened by her declaring that you are asleep. 

 When she's told to be quiet, she is silent, but will then lift her legs and drop them onto her mattress. Repeatedly. Over and over. Again and again.

 One night when she was over I thought I heard her cry out. I crept into the room and checked her while she lay in bed. I heard steady breathing through the darkness and ventured to ask, "Trinity, are you ok?" "Yup!" was her reply.

Freedom costs

Let Freedom ring – For Kathy’s Four New Freedoms

Whenever the 4^th of July rolls around and I participate in the festivities, I am reminded of Norman Rockwell’s famous four Freedoms paintings, depicting the Freedom to Worship, the Freedom from Fear, the Freedom from Want, and the Freedom of Speech.  I value all of those and have thought of for more that I plan to add to my personal life.

·        Freedom from Comparison.

Keeping up with the Jones’s has always meant living your life in comparison to your neighbors. Years back it meant car models, landscaping, remodeling, job advancement, and expensive vacations.  Today it is all encompassing and includes savings accounts, retirement plans, fashion, and pedigreed animals.

Sadly, it extends to children’s after school activities, clothing logos, school choice, and the electronic gadgets they possess.  My plan is to keep my rusting Kia until the death of its engine parts us.  Adding satellite is still not happening, nor is switching my VCR/DVD TV to something more digitally mastered.  My work for a  non-profit doesn’t come with fame or fortune, the work is the reward.  I will continue to scour thrift stores and clearance racks for bargains. My goal is to be content with what I have.

·        Freedom from Judgment

People have different parenting styles, hobbies, passions, likes and dislikes. Often times my ideas and ideals differ.  I’m attempting to free myself from judgment.  Although I might not consider it endearing, respectful, beneficial or necessary, parent your way.  Public of private school? Homeschool? To immunize or not? Your choice, not mine.  It’s your child and I’ve seen some wonderful children grown from what I consider wacky parenting ideals and plenty of troublemakers from sound ones.

Politics? Religion? Whole-grain or white? Processed or organic? Imagine just how long this list can be.  Classical? Opera? Country? Rock? It’s all music to someone.  Enjoy.  You live your life I’ll live mine.  But as I live mine, I will try my best to talk with you, befriend you, and listen.  My responsibility lies in being a good neighbor and only I can accomplish that.

·        Freedom from Appearance.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if there was a ban on the constant media bombardment on aging? Those headlines that read “50 is the new 30,””Woman, 72, is top in her field of weight lifting ”(how large is that field, I wonder) or “You too can have abs like these”. WHY????

I am making better choices than I did five years ago concerning my eating and exercise habits.  But as the years have passed I’ve acquired allergies, arthritis, and aches and pains previously unknown.  It’s happening and I’m OK with that.

I don’t want to live counting every calories and bite, refusing cake at birthday parties, wearing the lastest fashion, or stressing over aging skin.  I want to erase from my vocabulary the sentence, “I’m being bad,” when I’m referring to an eating choice.  Life is not meant to be lived at either extreme of fasting or feasting.  I’m going to celebrate life and attempt to live in balance.

·        Freedom from Perfection.

I don’t make fudge because my friend Debbie Nolan makes it really well.  Sadly, I haven’t seen Debbie in 26 years and I’m still not making fudge because I’m afraid it won’t be perfect.  There are much better quilters, writers, rug makers, bakers, home decorators, guitar players, singers, and dancers than me.

In the past, the idea of how inadequate I am compared to others has been my excuse to not attempt new things. No longer.  My home is a hodgepodge of homemade items.  Some are well done, others you need to not look at too closely.  The satisfying part is that it releases a spark within me and brings me pleasure to create something.

So for this July 5^th and onward, I am on a mission to add these freedoms to my life.  Adopt these or make your own list.  Whatever you do, begin now.  Let freedom ring.

Ring those bells!

(appeared July 5, 2012)