Books / Place

Started a new book this afternoon - one I requested from the library a long long time ago.  3 pages in and I was done.  (I so dislike filthy language.  And I have sort of a mental rule.  If it appears on the first few pages - and with frequency - then that book is history.  Recommendations notwithstanding - there is too much to read that will lift me to waste time on something that won't.)

So then I picked up the next book from my little stack.  This one was an author I'd read before so I knew I was safe.  Got to page 30 and read this:  "I envied him.  It must be nice to know exactly where your place in life is."

That started the old mental gears turning.  Where exactly is my place in life?  I've long wondered that very thing.

For much of my childhood my place was the middle child - the one expected to fill that middle slot, to be quiet, be obedient and behave.

Then I married (YAY!) and found that my place was the usual wife/mother slot.  Happy to do it. (Often wished I was better equipped for that position, but still, I gave it a valiant effort.)  The mothering part sort of ebbs as the children fledge the nest.  The wife part is still a joy.

But is there more?  Is there an exact place for someone like me in this world?  Someone fairly ordinary without fame, fortune, beauty or talent?

Why Yes!  There is!  My Place:  the fixer of inside-out hoods on other people's apparel.  And cleaner of glasses!  Walking through the grocery the other day, I noticed this young teen with her Mom and sibs in the aisles.  (We seemed to have the same shopping pattern.)  I noticed her cute glasses.  Wondered how she could possibly see through such cloudy lenses.  Had to restrain myself from whipping out my glasses cleaning accoutrements to fix her vision.

I guess that's an ok place for me to be.  It is important to be able to see a person's eyes - and equally important for them to be able to see the world.


The Husband has begun a tradition that I am thoroughly enjoying.  There's a little shop at the airport he's become loyal to.  Whenever he goes into the office he stops in at this little shop just before boarding his plane heading for home.  He buys these little packages of chocolates.  They're a pretty good deal - especially for airport fare.  He usually buys three packs.  I hoard them, savor the knowing I can have one whenever I want.  They're just the right size to share (or not, depending on my level of chocolate need and whether or not I'm alone.)  I am the lucky beneficiary of The Husband's generosity - on so many levels!

Today I'm grateful again for my little rain slicker.  Grabbed it on my way out the door this morning knowing I would be graced with heaven's moisture before I made it home.  What a lovely walk I had: the sky was an ever changing delight to my eyes, both in light and color, the temperature just perfect for my rain jacket, the trail less busy because of the rain and my shoes supported my aching foot enough to do 4 1/2 miles.

And I'm so grateful for my ability to read.  My enjoyment of that has added untold dimension to my life.