Pride in my progeny and other Saturday snippets

We survived a series of sicknesses in the Waters household. Since 2 Saturdays ago, 4 of the 5 family members have endured a 1-2 punch: head cold, followed by stomach bug. It was un-fun. Glad that’s (mostly) over. In the midst of it, I spilled half a cup of boiling-hot tea on the back of my left hand. Also un-fun. In both cases, though—my illness and my hand burn—I was somewhat amazed and duly grateful for my body’s ability to heal.

~

In other news, my nonprofit agency has landed a big-name speaker for our upcoming fundraising banquet. We (my co-workers and I, plus our Board of Directors) are both elated and intimidated: Elated that she’s coming; intimidated by the shortened prep time. Our original banquet date was May 6^th. The date that works for our speaker and our banquet venue is April 13^th. So we’re “going for it”! As soon as the reality of the schedule dawned on me (about 10 minutes after receiving the good news), these prescient words of Leonard Bernstein came to mind: “In order to accomplish great things, two things are needed: A plan, and not quite enough time.” May it be so.

~

Another tidbit that might interest A-Town readers: The Van has been replaced. (Can I get an “Amen”?) Thanks to Will’s excellent credit rating and 2 generous benefactors whose names I do not have permission to publish, we are now driving a 2004 Dodge Caravan SXT. The best part, according to Vi, is the TV/DVD combo for the passengers. The best part, according to me, is that it works. And that it came with a substantial warranty. (And, of course, that it’s not red. After the last lemon, any other color would have satisfied me. As it happens, the new van is a pretty light blue.)

~

Lastly, I experienced a wonderful mother-son bonding moment with Ben the other night. I imagine this is how fathers feel when their sons first take to Star Wars, or Little League, or whatever it is that thrills paternal souls so much that they long to share the joy with their progeny. It was early in the evening, but late enough that I was “done dealing”—maybe around 7:30 p.m. It’s too late to take a nap but too early to turn in for the night.

I decided to put on a movie. Nothing heavy and nothing new because the likelihood of interruption is high that time of day (well, really, anytime the kids are awake), and I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to finish the film before bedtime. So I turned to my old favorite: Pride and Prejudice, the BBC edition (with the admirable Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy).

Even though Ben was happily playing with his “guys” (action figures) in the corner of the living room, I feared he might object to my choice, so I presented my intentions in the perkiest manner I could muster: “I’m going to watch Pride and Prejudice!” I exclaimed brightly. To my delight, Ben piped up: “Can we watch the second one?” The BBC P&P is several hours long, you see—it’s a 2-volume DVD set. Since I also prefer the second part in many respects, I happily obliged. To my further delight, Ben abandoned his action figure play and cuddled with me on the couch while we watched the classic Austen novel put to film. My kindergartener interjected astute observations about the range of emotions expressed by “Lizzy” and “Mr. Darcy,” and he appropriately dubbed Mr. Collins a “dumb-head.” My spirit swelled with pride, I tell you. (But then maybe I’m prejudiced.)