Our lives follow a pretty predictable routine. That is largely because I am a creature of habit. I have also tried to create a clear structure for Kate, and it seems to have worked. Not today though. As I noted in my previous post she has a cold. Yesterday and the day before, she awoke much earlier than normal and did not rest during the day. Today she made up for her lack of sleep. I decided to let her sleep as long as she could since we had no obligations to be anywhere or do anything on a set time. To my surprise, she didn’t wake up until 12:45. It was a little late to go to Panera for her muffin. We went directly to lunch, arriving at almost 2:00.
She wasn’t in the best of moods, and I tried not to do or say anything to aggravate her. My big mistake occurred when she blew her nose on her jacket that she has only worn two or three times. I quickly said, “Don’t do that.” I told her I would get her a paper towel. I normally keep them in the car, but we had run out the day before. She snapped back at me. Then she apologized, and I, too, felt bad and apologized.
After lunch, I asked her if she would like to go back home. She said, “Barnes & Noble.” After we had been there about 45 minutes, she said she had a headache. I asked if she would like to go home. She did. When we got home, I gave her a Tylenol. We brushed our teeth. Then she grabbed her cup and said, “I’ll see you” and walked to the front of the house. When I got to the kitchen, I didn’t see her. I looked in the garage and saw her sitting in the car waiting for me. Nothing at all had been said about our going back to Barnes & Noble, but she was obviously ready. I got in the car, and here we are again. We had only been home a few minutes.
While we were in the car, she said something about my controlling everything – “When we go, where we go, what we do.” I said, “I guess I really do control a lot of things, but I hope I do it with the intention of doing what you want to do.” She said, “That’s true. I know you do it for me.”
I see that it is now almost 5:15. If I follow our usual schedule, it will be time for dinner in 45 minutes or so. I will probably delay that a little tonight since we ate lunch so late. Yes, it’s a different kind of day.
Postscript
Kate surprised me when she decided she was ready to leave Barnes & Nobel shortly after I wrote the post above. Although we had eaten a late lunch, we talked about whether to go home or to eat. We decided to eat but to have a light meal. We went to the Bluefish Grill where we shared an appetizer and an entrée. As we entered the dining room, we saw one of my Rotarian friends. As we were eating, some friends stopped by our table on their way out. We also saw a couple from our church. We had a good meal and a nice social experience as well.
When our server asked if we wanted dessert, I said, “I don’t think so.” Kate looked at me and said, “We could share something.” I agreed. This happens occasionally when I don’t want a dessert. I had picked up a couple of pounds over the past week when our son was here. I really didn’t need anything more; however, I often imagine how I might some day look back on moments like this. I think I would say, “I wish I had just enjoyed the moment rather than worrying about my weight.” I continue to believe that is the right thing to do.
On the way home, Kate said, “I never get tired of being with you.” She followed that with “Sometimes I get irritated with you.” I said, “Thank you for loving me.” She closed the conversation with this comment. “I do love you. I don’t know why, but I do.” The day is ending on a high note as it always does.
