It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life."
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I have a joke for you, she said.
What do you call a pigeon with a cuckoo clock?
That’s it. Yep, that’s the entirety of three year old Bird’s joke.
She asked me with these big eyes and followed this question with a happy laugh. I looked back with brief puzzled silence, and then I could not stop laughing, it was just so precious and funny. May she never stop telling this joke!
A good reminder – one doesn’t always have to ‘get things right’ to be well-received.
It’s been a week of extremes. This sweet grandchild ended up in the emergency room with a virus that led to difficulty breathing, one of those 4 a.m. horrors that seem a rite of passage for parents. Her dad had asthma when he was young, and sure enough, this was the doctor’s diagnosis. Thankfully, she has responded quite well to the meds, and she is back home, recovering.
Though, I should add – she is not at all inclined to TAKE those meds. We are babysitting her today, and it is quite the nightmare, getting foul-tasting meds into her little mouth…I am not at all convinced any has been swallowed. Trying new and mysterious things is not everyone’s cup of tea!
My college bestie is in town, from Connecticut. C is single and retired, with a daughter who lives here in the D.C. area and who is expecting a baby (a grandchild for C!) this spring. It makes so much wonderful sense for C to move here – nearer to family and friends. C and I have been house-hunting for two weeks, seeing one place after another. Finding a new home (with a limited budget) is overwhelming and exhausting and a wee bit scary, too. Change is hard!
It’s good to keep a sense of humor throughout.
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I love these seemingly disparate threads that weave together the fabric of your life. I hope C finds a place, such a difficult time to be home-hunting with limited resources…Maybe renting is an option? (For both of you “besties,” I hope for a fruitful search.) I can just see the joy in your granddaughter’s eyes and her delight in your laughter. The line, “…one of those 4 a.m. horrors that seem a rite of passage for parents,” says it all, and absolutely has to be lived before the reality of parenthood sinks in. Glad she’s on the road to recovery.
Thank you, Trish! The threads did seem disparate – and I hoped they wove together into a fun slice. Days are like this sometimes – lots happening at once.
Maureen, I know it was a relief to know that she responded to the meds for breathing. Those are some scary and tense moments that test the nerves and heart all at once. I’m thankful that she has you to keep her. I wish they made medicine cookies and candy for kids who are reluctant medicine takers just to make the lives of parents easier and the medicine experience for kids more enjoyable. I hope she continues to improve.
Thank you, Kim! I was so frustrated by the ‘delivery method’ of the medicine – why wouldn’t a young child be scared by a syringe? Seems as if there should be a small sippy cup of some sort…I’d ply her with m&m’s throughout – lol! Ah, well.
Maureen,
What a sweet joke Bird told. I told my husband; I thought he might have an answer–he’s such a Dad jokester–but he came up short. All the best to C. I hope she finds the perfect place to be close to you, her daughter and growing family and all her other friends in DC.
I’m still laughing, Denise! I think she merged the answer with the riddle…I think it might have been something like, ‘what kind of a clock does a a pigeon have? a cuckoo clock” Not sure! I love her version best. Thank you so much!
I love how you combined different aspects of your life to create this post. Each had such an emotional impact, too–The utter sweetness of that joke, the anxiety of the ER visit, and the anticipation of having a best friend relocate near you. I like how you tucked in your words of wisdom as well: “one doesn’t always have to ‘get things right’ to be well-received,” and “It’s good to keep a sense of humor throughout.”
Thank you, Molly! I wasn’t entirely sure where I was headed with these disparate threads, but they definitely summarize my life these days.
Maureen,
Poor Bird. I do t blame her for not wanting to take nasty-tasting meds. Will ice cream help? I remember those emergency room visits w/ young children. I should write about a few! I do hope the house hunt is successful. I know prices and interest rates are high, but the market is cooling some, so maybe good news will arrive for your friend soon. Will she be on a future episode of House Hunters?
Thank you for your well wishes, Glenda! We both think “House Hunters” is more fun and less stressful than this experience…once you get ‘hooked’ on a home, you have to compete with other folks. Such competition is really hard when your finances are limited. Something will work out! We have zeroed in on a few specific areas that seem good.
While this may be your version of a “short post”, I was struck by how much is going on – from illness to moving to stories from the past – so rich and I hope the wee one gets healthy soon!
Thank you, Melanie! She is definitely on the mend. The adults will be fatigued longer than she is, I am sure.