Lots of little things

I have to guard myself against the irritations that naturally come as activities extend beyond Mama and our children. It is not so much the added expense of including others, it is the picky little requests that overwhelm me. Rather than just going along with what I can easily provide for everyone I must now do some little thing here and some little thing there to make everybody happy; all the while knowing the it won’t really make them happy, they just need to feel like they got something special out of the deal.


Oh, well. I guess we are all stressing out a little about this wedding but to gain a son-in-law like Aaron it will be worth it. Maggie is getting touchy because there are so many decisions to be made and everything, literally everything, costs money. Maggie is one who likes to get things over with as quickly as possible so she does not have to deal with it any more. Almost any solution will do as long as it’s over. That approach is coming up short with respect to the wedding so it is an emotional, nerve wracking experience for her. What a wonderful growth opportunity.

We are still one thousand miles away and have the closing on the farm hanging out there somewhere soon on top of getting all the family here down to the wedding. My new boss is giving me some problems with commitments made to me by my old boss – imagine that! It will all work out but in the midst of the turmoil it is a struggle to stay calm and focused while every other area of life still goes on.

I have often said that it is rarely the big things that steal our joy. It is the multitude of little things that wear us down into despair. We are not there yet and all the little fires we are fighting will soon be conquered and well behind us. The fact that they are all happening at once is what takes time to digest.

Mama is a little bummed out at not being able to find a dress she likes and I have asked her to ensure what she buys is something she will wear more than once. I have never viewed clothing as task specific. One of the reasons I am annoyed at the expense of wedding gowns is that it is a dress that will only be worn once; as such, it becomes more of a prop for photo ops than anything else. It is bought with the understanding that it will never be worn again. My mind cannot get wrapped around that, but I go along to get along.

Mama has explained it to me several times – enough for me to know that it is important to her and many other females. Honestly, it did not sink in any deeper than when I explain to her why I buy non-metallic brake pads.