Some women whose opinions I value have suggested that when life hands you suck, rather than whipping up the life equivalent of the culinary masterpiece of succotash, one (especially if that one is a woman) should go out and bury her sorrows in chocolate. I've given this some thought and have come down on the side of chocolate myself. Okay, truth be told, any quasi scientific reason which would allow me to increase my chocolate cosumption is good in my book. Frankly, ANY reason, quasi scientific, urban legend derived, or espoused by a crazy on the corner of some NY street is really good enough for me; chocolate and I are good friends. At least, that's what I say. I'm not sure chocolate would really feel all that good about our relationship since it really is all give on chocolate's part and all take on mine, even though I do let chocolate have it's say once a day when I step on the bathroom scale. But I digress. Rather than tell you the intimate details of my undying devotion to chocolate, I wanted to share with you the place that chocolate has recently had in my life.
Just this past week my husband left on very short notice for unnamed hostile places - certain hostile places that scare me more than they reasonably should. I received one call from him informing me that he would be home a day later than originally believed. Okay, I was fine with that. Then he didn't come home when he was supposed to. And he didn't call. And he wound up missing Valentine's day. Now, I know that this is not uncommon. And I know that this is what I signed up for. And I know that this is nothing compared to what other women have gone through while their husbands' have been called to save the world in one form or another. But all of these facts aside, I was still a woman who did not know where her husband was, when he would be home, and what she was supposed to do with herself all alone on Valentine's day. And yet, I did not fall apart. Heck, I didn't even shed a tear or feel the least bit sorry for myself. Okay, okay, that last one's a lie, I felt a little bit sorry for myself, but I didn't let it get out of control. And do you know how I maintained the strong exterior of a wife inured to the vagaries of this life? One word: chocolate.
That's right, when this all started to go down, did I consult my government's web site and prepare with canned food, and water, and batteries? No, because all those guidelines are written by men and say nothing of the healing, stabilizing, and emotional benefits of chocolate. But I knew what I needed, the way birds know to migrate and salmon know to swim upstream, because I am a woman and we women have been heeling ourselves this way for a very long time. Had there been women on the battlefield when Florence Nightingale was ministering to the needs of the wounded I am sure she would have had Hershey Kisses in one of the pockets of her apron. For nothing has quite the power to right so many wrongs as chocolate. Strangely enough,though, I have had little chocolate in my pantry until just this last week. Things have been great and I really didn't need it. But, with the arrival of Girl Scout cookie season, Easter candy at the BX, and an accidental trip down the chocolate aisle of Real, my pantry was suddenly chock full, and just in time.
Now I receive news this evening that my husband will probably arrive home tomorrow. It has been an okay week. I've gotten in some watching of Stargate and seen episodes I didn't know I'd never seen. I got on my hands and knees and scrubbed and waxed the kitchen floor (sadly, I've known for some time how badly that was needed). I spent a day with my landladies and used my German and have been making a point of studying every night. I've earned more gift certificates for toys from Amazon for Darin. And I've given the house a bit of a straightening up. Overall, not a bad week. So, the next time you are faced with a personal or family crisis, I highly recommend you get yourself some chocolate. It really does fix everything.
(Unless you are a guy, in which case, try football or video games. Seriously, you know how different men and women are; why are you consulting me?)
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Stand Up and Stand Out
I don't recall when, but at some point in my life I came to the realization that while it could certainly be said that I am infinitely unique, it is also a certainty that I am truly and honestly about as unique and important as any other ant in this anthill of human life. I've had my moments of angst over this, sure, but in the end, most days I am just fine with it.
The knowledge of my, essentially, cookie cutter existence has created one notable tic in my personality, however; I am always on the lookout for things that are said or actions that are done that have the potential to be the first time ever done by a human being. Now, manning the first plane to exit earth's atmosphere, making the first viable vehicle not to run on fossil fuels, or being the first person of color to actually have a chance at the American presidency are all wonderful things and I applaud those people who have it in them to accomplish these very significant and unique achievements, but these are not what I am talking about. When I say I am on the lookout for original accomplishments or the coining of original words or phrases, I am talking about those things that are mundane, silly, unimportant and potentially unnoticed. For example, every once in a while I will hear someone say a combination of words that I am certain have never ben said in sequence before. My husband came up with one a few months back and I was incredibly delighted with it, so much so that I believe he was momentarily concerned that I might be a little off my rocker. Sadly and wonderfully, it was so bizarre a sequence that I could not remember it even an hour later.
I think as people living our little lives, noticeable mostly only to our friends and family and unknown and unimportant to the world at large, it is vitally important that we pay attention and keep our eyes open for these moments in our own lives. It is always good to be reminded that while most of what we do has been done before, we still have the power to be refreshing and silly and to come out of nowhere with statements or actions that are certain to have never been said or tried. We ned to remember to try things that are new for us and things that might be new to everyone. So, I urge my readers to consider this in their own lives and to pay attention to what's going on around you. It might seem like one moment, one day, one week, all bleed into the next, but it's just not true. For those of you with children you can see that it isn't that way for them yet. Well, I say, don't let it be that way for you either. If everything around you is the same old thing then you be the change, you be the surprise, you do the action that has never been done before, even if you feel like a fool. To make it easier for you, I will give you a small glimpse into my evening and what prompted this post: just a half hour ago I stood in my kitchen with a pot of boiling water, my broom, and a fork. Now, I won't go into details, but I've got a fair amount of certainty that I might have been the first person to ever be doing what I was doing. If I'm not, well, I'm sure I'm part of a rather exclusive group. And I have to tell you, it feels good. Sure, I know others would think I'm crazy, but it feels really good.
The knowledge of my, essentially, cookie cutter existence has created one notable tic in my personality, however; I am always on the lookout for things that are said or actions that are done that have the potential to be the first time ever done by a human being. Now, manning the first plane to exit earth's atmosphere, making the first viable vehicle not to run on fossil fuels, or being the first person of color to actually have a chance at the American presidency are all wonderful things and I applaud those people who have it in them to accomplish these very significant and unique achievements, but these are not what I am talking about. When I say I am on the lookout for original accomplishments or the coining of original words or phrases, I am talking about those things that are mundane, silly, unimportant and potentially unnoticed. For example, every once in a while I will hear someone say a combination of words that I am certain have never ben said in sequence before. My husband came up with one a few months back and I was incredibly delighted with it, so much so that I believe he was momentarily concerned that I might be a little off my rocker. Sadly and wonderfully, it was so bizarre a sequence that I could not remember it even an hour later.
I think as people living our little lives, noticeable mostly only to our friends and family and unknown and unimportant to the world at large, it is vitally important that we pay attention and keep our eyes open for these moments in our own lives. It is always good to be reminded that while most of what we do has been done before, we still have the power to be refreshing and silly and to come out of nowhere with statements or actions that are certain to have never been said or tried. We ned to remember to try things that are new for us and things that might be new to everyone. So, I urge my readers to consider this in their own lives and to pay attention to what's going on around you. It might seem like one moment, one day, one week, all bleed into the next, but it's just not true. For those of you with children you can see that it isn't that way for them yet. Well, I say, don't let it be that way for you either. If everything around you is the same old thing then you be the change, you be the surprise, you do the action that has never been done before, even if you feel like a fool. To make it easier for you, I will give you a small glimpse into my evening and what prompted this post: just a half hour ago I stood in my kitchen with a pot of boiling water, my broom, and a fork. Now, I won't go into details, but I've got a fair amount of certainty that I might have been the first person to ever be doing what I was doing. If I'm not, well, I'm sure I'm part of a rather exclusive group. And I have to tell you, it feels good. Sure, I know others would think I'm crazy, but it feels really good.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Another year, another 6 posts?
I could take this moment to lament and apologize that I am not one of those people and we are not one of those families that are especially good at keeping the world updated on the happenings in our lives, but frankly, I'm not one of those people that feel particularly guilty about that and neither are we one of those families. So, if you are anxious to hear more about us and find you aren't getting your fill by checking in here, I recommend you send us an e-mail or give us a call. The fact is, we still love you and would love to hear from any of you. And yes, we are much better about returning e-mails.
Now, to give you an idea of what has been going on in our lives: Not much. Yes, one of the Special Guest Stars in my life did return home relatively recently, but while that was wonderful and long awaited, it did not bring any substantially noteworthy changes. Instead of kicking around Germany by myself, I now have a companion. It's nice. I'm happy. But I don't really think it's something you want to read about.
On another front, I suppose those of you who are in the states and have never lived overseas think that our life here must be very exciting, filled with beer, and pretzels, and quaint German towns, and that's partially true. There is beer and it's good, but the wine in this area is also good. There are pretzels, and crepes, and waffles, but like most things you have constant access to they really aren't that exciting. (Okay, yes, when there is no crowd in front of the counter at Babarossa Backerei I have been known to dart off gleefully to get myself a Kase Brezeln and yes, I did once punch my husband because he distracted me and prevented me from going to the counter when there were no other people there, but really, that was only one instance (maybe two or three) and really isn't indicative of how unexciting the pretzels really are.) And yes, this place is chock full of quaint and German and towns and is really a nice place to live, but in the last (almost) year that we've been here we have become used to it. If you must say jaded to make you feel better about living in places like Texas or Ohio, I'm okay with that, but really, this isn't that exciting. Except, that's precisely what is so wonderful about it. Both my main SGS and I LOVE it here. We are quite certain that someday we will look back on his career and think that Germany was the most wonderful place we got to live. It cannot be described how great we think it is because it is something that matches US so well and wouldn't necessarily mean a thing to anyone else. Suffice it to say that, for me at least, coming to Germany has felt like coming home.
You should know, of course, that it isn't all perfect. I was treated like a leper one day because I chose to pay by credit card (after having been assured that it was okay by a salesman on the floor), there have been days and weeks and months when I believed that the sun was a myth or something I must have imagined, and my absolute lackadaisical attitude about learning the language I wanted to be fluent in within a year (I still have one and a half months) has made me feel like an idiot more times than I can recount, but, all that being said, I still wish there was some way I could remain an American and have all the rights and privileges associated without ever having to leave Germany. But no, leave Germany I someday will and I am fairly certain that on that day I will cry. Until then, I will carry on enjoying my life here. If you are fortunate (or unfortunate, perhaps) I will continue to post my observations and maybe, eventually, a picture or two.
Now, to give you an idea of what has been going on in our lives: Not much. Yes, one of the Special Guest Stars in my life did return home relatively recently, but while that was wonderful and long awaited, it did not bring any substantially noteworthy changes. Instead of kicking around Germany by myself, I now have a companion. It's nice. I'm happy. But I don't really think it's something you want to read about.
On another front, I suppose those of you who are in the states and have never lived overseas think that our life here must be very exciting, filled with beer, and pretzels, and quaint German towns, and that's partially true. There is beer and it's good, but the wine in this area is also good. There are pretzels, and crepes, and waffles, but like most things you have constant access to they really aren't that exciting. (Okay, yes, when there is no crowd in front of the counter at Babarossa Backerei I have been known to dart off gleefully to get myself a Kase Brezeln and yes, I did once punch my husband because he distracted me and prevented me from going to the counter when there were no other people there, but really, that was only one instance (maybe two or three) and really isn't indicative of how unexciting the pretzels really are.) And yes, this place is chock full of quaint and German and towns and is really a nice place to live, but in the last (almost) year that we've been here we have become used to it. If you must say jaded to make you feel better about living in places like Texas or Ohio, I'm okay with that, but really, this isn't that exciting. Except, that's precisely what is so wonderful about it. Both my main SGS and I LOVE it here. We are quite certain that someday we will look back on his career and think that Germany was the most wonderful place we got to live. It cannot be described how great we think it is because it is something that matches US so well and wouldn't necessarily mean a thing to anyone else. Suffice it to say that, for me at least, coming to Germany has felt like coming home.
You should know, of course, that it isn't all perfect. I was treated like a leper one day because I chose to pay by credit card (after having been assured that it was okay by a salesman on the floor), there have been days and weeks and months when I believed that the sun was a myth or something I must have imagined, and my absolute lackadaisical attitude about learning the language I wanted to be fluent in within a year (I still have one and a half months) has made me feel like an idiot more times than I can recount, but, all that being said, I still wish there was some way I could remain an American and have all the rights and privileges associated without ever having to leave Germany. But no, leave Germany I someday will and I am fairly certain that on that day I will cry. Until then, I will carry on enjoying my life here. If you are fortunate (or unfortunate, perhaps) I will continue to post my observations and maybe, eventually, a picture or two.
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