Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Mistletoe is neither meant for Decorating Cages nor Consumption.

Here's my IF quote of the day from the woman who could become a grandmother yet again if this FET takes:

"You can sit in your rocking chair and feel you did everything you could or sit in the rocking chair looking at grandchildren. Either way you win."

Agreed.

On Sunday afternoon, after downing the best heart-stopping eggs benedict on the island, Dan and I visited a place highly recommended by our new friends, the proprietors of Le Rouge in Banciao City. $85NT and 8 minutes later we arrived by taxi, at Lin mansion. After enjoying the historic Chinese surroundings ,we came across a bell/gong thing I determined was there to strike while making a wish. Not sure if I was right and didn't care if I looked stupid doing it. (Children aside, find me an adult who doesn't look stupid when they shut their eyes muttering a wish while their tossed penny flies into the murky waters of a man-made water receptable?) So when I did it, my wish was: "I hope whatever is supposed to happen, happens."

Tired of being pushy with my wishes.

I spent the first 7 years of my life (okay, maybe 4 of those were cognitive) wishing for a frackin'* bunny. My day finally came. It was Christmastime. My parents bought me my long-awaited "Pepper" (guess what kind of coloring this rabbit had) and I proceed to decorate the cage with mistletoe (always have adored decorating) and I kill the poor thing within 2 weeks!!!** I always think of that when I "make a wish." I also remind myself of past Nouns I was absolutely sure were right and I desperately wanted them come into my life... and then I didn't get them--just didn't play out. Then in hindsight, I'm SO glad they didn't work out.

Case in point: the house we almost bought in So. Pasadena (mostly to be in the right school district for our unborn child/ren) and it fell through. Then, within about a year, the MRT, the train transport, the whatever it's called in LA, oh--the Metro (?) installation they insisted was on hold indefinitely was installed and running... LOUDLY... right outside what would have been our front door. A mere year! The very day we finally stopped beating our heads against the wall trying to make that square peg fit in the round hole, we found our beloved Tipton. Whenever we go to Busters (ex-place of employ from WAY back [I still make a mean cappuccino given the right implements of destruction]), we congratulate ourselves for being so damned psychically in alignment with The Universe, plugging our ears as the approaching train bells trigger a tinittis relapse. After it passes, we add an extra high five topped with a "terrorist" fist bump for being "blessed" despite being confirmed Heathens.

Life really is a crap shoot--we just try to play our cards right and let the chips fall where they may.

Vegas metaphors are the best when trying to make peace with how very little control we have over so many things in life.


*We've been on a crazed Battlestar Gallactica marathon this past week. Forgive my Silicon Valley nerdiness. But it's so frucking good! Highly recommend.

**NOTE: see title.

6 comments:

  1. BSG is indeed the bomb. I think it's saved my sanity during all this IF stuff.

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  2. DH and I were just talking about animals we tried to "care for" as kids. Mine was a crab I found down at the marina. He had a broken claw, so I took him home and put a band-aid on it. I kept him in a little shoe box and he dried out in about a day. Poor little guy. I still feel guilty about that!

    I admire your ability to let what happens happen. I'm not sure I'm there yet. But I think it's a good place to be. I loved the quote from your MIL. Very nice.

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  3. Too funny. Such a sweet image--the band-aid part. The list goes on, right? Had a green tomato worm that lasted a few hours.

    Actually, she's my step-mom. But since she did most of the tough work raising me (she was the one who let me cry on her shoulder for an hour straight when Pepper bit it), referring to her as "step" just doesn't seem to cut it. Any suggestions?

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  4. Oh, sorry! I thought it was your MIL. That's a tough one. I wouldn't know what to call her either. Haven't had too many good experiences with step-parents, but it sounds like you did. That's really awesome.

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  5. Oi vey, so so sorry about the spoiler. Totally mea culpa.

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  6. I love your post - this is a great thing to remember - to open ourselves to wishing that whatever is meant to happen happens. i think the whole process of ART makes us (or me at least) start to think that if i just manipulate this or that i can get the outcome i want (a living child). but you've got a point: square peg, round hole....you can only do so much and then you have to try to be with what happens.

    thanks for this post.

    Mo
    www.lifeandloveinthepetridish.blogspot.com

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