Root Beer Floats Sometimes

For our wedding anniversary last summer, Bill and I took the kids to Kansas City to go to a baseball game, which got rained out, so we all went to dinner at Buca di Beppo. We ordered a pitcher of root beer for the kids. When the waiter brought it, he spilled it on my lap. All over my white skirt.

I laughed. The waiter was horrified. He brought me napkins. I soaked up the root beer as best I could. We finished our meal, went for a walk around the Plaza in the rain (with a giant root beer stain on my white skirt), and I took pictures of the kids throwing coins in the fountains until we went back to the hotel. Bill and I later talked about the incident and noted that I am a unique person in that root beer can spill on my white skirt at my anniversary dinner which was supposed to be a baseball game that got rained out and it still doesn't ruin the evening for me.

I am generally an optomistic person. It is work to be that way. I mean, I was upset and embarassed that my skirt was stained brown, and that I didn't get to go to a baseball game and on and on. But I knew that it was not worth it to be upset. That in the long run this did not matter and that I could decide to have a good evening despite a root beer stained skirt. This type of conscious optomism requires energy.

I can't always do it. I get worn down. Lately my reserve of energy has been empty. I did not have it in me this weekend to go on a long trip with my family to go to my brother in law's wedding. I could not do it. I knew that. So I chose to stay home with my kids and sent Bill with his kids. It was not an easy choice to make. We really do feel like a family, and I felt the loss of my family this weekend - most especailly Joe and Amanda who I love. (I am not going to go into the issues in detail here. It is not Bill. Things are actually really good between Bill and myself right now. I just didn't want anyone to assume anything.)

My friends rallied. On Thursday night, my friend Jade came over to hula hoop with me and the kids at sunset. On Friday night, the two Kays from Grand Island, work friends of mine, came over with Indian take out and sat around the table with me and my kids and later that evening my friend Sam showed up with her son Jaevyn and Jade to do home pedicures with me. On Saturday I went to dance class in the morning and took my kids to Omaha in the afternoon. We explored Greek pottery at the Joslyn, went shopping and did a photo booth together, went to Amadeus together and ended the evening at my friend Ann's house where her son grilled me tilapia in the rain at 8pm because that is when I showed up. Ann and I talked as kids played and cooked.

I feel loved and supported and filled with positive energy. If I were a cartoon character, my energy bars would be glowing again. I feel ready to have a root beer dumped on me.