It is now 2 ½ hours before we are having 3 other couples over for a light dinner. We are doing this informally. We hope the weather will cooperate and permit us to eat outside. If not, we’ll simply adjourn to the family room. Despite the informality, we have a good bit to do. I cooked pork tenderloin last night. We are going to thaw some shrimp and have shrimp cocktail. In addition, we will have assorted cheeses, fruit, and caprese salad. All of these are things we need to have in order by the time everyone arrives. At the moment Kate is outside working on plants. Some of this work has been pruning behind the shrubs on the side of the house where no one can see anything. How should I respond? Do I push her? That will annoy her. Do I let her go and just let the chips fall where they may? It is the latter that I am tending to do more and more often. I do believe we are very near the time when I will simply do everything except what she may want to do to make her feel a part. I don’t mean tonight although that is where we are headed. Thus far she has done very little except for the yard. It looks great, and I appreciate her work. However, I consider it secondary to the things that must be done to serve dinner.
Another issue is her weight. She loves eating snacks and treats like Wendy’s Frosties, candies, etc. She is frustrated over her weight gain. I am only 10-12 pounds heavier than she, and we found on our trip to South America that she can comfortably wear my jeans. I can understand she wants to enjoy herself while she stills knows and understands what is going on around her; however, I also know that she is troubled by her weight. She decided to go to Weight Watchers before we went to South America. She decided to start after our return. She went to one meeting and never returned. Again I have decided for the moment that I will not put any pressure on her. I feel like she needs to enjoy herself.
