A Good Day

Yesterday my F-I-L came home from the hospital.  He's had 2 surgeries, one in his heart and one in his leg.  At some point he'll have to have another surgery, to clear an artery in his neck.  But he's home, his color is good, and he's watching as many basketball and football games as he can stand.  And that is quite a few!
Yesterday we dropped by the house just to give them some soup I'd made.  My poor M-I-L is exhausted, having spent 3 days in the hospital watching over him and catching catnaps in a chair. The rest of us were visiting in shifts.

Yesterday morning I woke up tired, cranky, and sore, in no mood to teach my mat class.  But after a shower, a smoothie, and some coffee, off I went.  I wasn't able to teach this class last week, as I had to get re-certified in CPR/AED, so it was nice to see everyone.  And once the class started, I was happy as a clam.  Which is how it always works: I have days where I grump and grouse, whining that "I don't wanna teach today, wah!" and as soon as we get started, it's all good.
I KNOW we ALL have those days!
Later we took the kids to the Potrero again to walk around.  There's a really nice playground there, so we stayed for a bit, then went to Whole Foods to use the bathroom and ended up staying for a snack.  It was late afternoon as we headed back to the car and the sun was just beginning to think about setting.  It had been such a beautiful day, and everyone was out with their kids and their dogs.  A perfect Saturday in San Francisco!
But the best part was when we walked past a Catholic church and standing outside was a monk.  A REAL monk, wearing the robes, and he even had a bald spot!  He looked just how I always imagined Friar Tuck would look!  He said hello and we chatted for a moment about how beautiful the day was.  It was so cool!!!!
And, if I could get a bit spiritual here for a moment, seeing him enjoying the moment so simply and contentedly made me want to do the same.  Just stand, or sit, and enjoy the little things that usually rush by.  It reminded me of a time, 11 years ago (?!?!?!?!) when I made a solo visit to Ghiradelli Square and got some ice cream.  I was seated next to a table of nuns, and when their ice cream came, they squealed like a bunch of 12 year-olds at a Justin Bieber concert.  It was GREAT!  (BTW, if you ever get to San Francisco, you MUST get a sundae at Ghiradelli Square.  Hopefully you can share it with 6 or 7 of your best friends, 'cause those suckers are HUGE!  There's a Ghiradelli in Pasadena, as well, but it's not quite the same experience.)

The biggest change to come out of this week is our food.  You know I try to eat healthy stuff (and often even succeed), but Hubby has now jumped on the bandwagon.  He's been very worried about his dad, obviously, and doesn't want to face the same issues in 20 years.  He said to me the other night that he's willing to change his preferences.  See, he's always liked healthier fare in theory, but sometimes, when faced with the reality of it, it doesn't live up to his expectations, taste-wise.  He's learning that he needs time to learn to appreciate some of these new flavors.  Don't get me wrong, he's no junk food junkie, but  he usually prefers a Double Double from In-N-Out Burger to one of my extra-lean turkey burgers.  Plus, he's got a lightening-fast metabolism, so he never gains an ounce.  But, as we get older, we're both learning that health issues come in all shapes and sizes.
And we can lead by example: last night LG ate a bit of corn-on-the-cob for the first time in a long time!  Both kids snarfed down their turkey burgers: I guess if you get 'em hungry enough, kids'll eat anything, lol!
And all this may just be the impetus I've needed to get us out of our food rut.  The past few days I've actually enjoyed food shopping and preparation.  For far too long it has been drudgery.  But now I need to get creative, and that gets the ol' juices flowing!  I'm seeing things in a new light: the color and variety of our wonderful California produce, the possibilities in the meat section, all the different kinds of cheese, and the pastas, and fish, and on and on!
And it's forced me to be much more aware, to pay attention, to think about what I eat before I shove it into my pie hole.
It's also made me feel lighter, somehow.  Maybe it's all the fiber and all the water I'm drinking, but that's only part of it (hee!).  I think, because I feel like I'm taking better care of my family, that more of the weight is lifting off of my shoulders.  There's also, of course, relief that my f-i-l is doing better.  Cautious relief; I am still, after all, a Jewish mom, so the worry will never completely go away, lol!
Finally, I feel a deepening relationship with my in-laws.  In a very small way, I've been able to take care of them.  Just a wee bit. And that feels REALLY good, as they've been taking care of us for years!
(Plus, they loved my soup!)

It has been an eventful few months.  And, yes, things have happened that are not-so-great, but, as usual, they have happened for a reason.  I just gotta have faith-a-faith-a-faith, I gotta have faith.

Sorry.
Couldn't resist.
And now that song is stuck in all our heads, along with images of George Michaels' denim-clad butt.

You're welcome.