Adding a check to sinking a boat...
Some friends from church invited us on a trip to Lake Wylie for a relaxing afternoon. We had a Bo Box, complete with chicken, fixins, and biscuits [we could've also been going to a NASCAR event] and a cooler full of drinks.
We also had too much weight on the front of the boat. [Did I mention that the boat didn't belong to any of us on the actual boat?]
We were talking, leisurely, about the sermon from church today...how we all live lavishly and don't even know it...when the front of the boat began to take on water.
A lot of water.
Like over-the-rail-things-are-floating-we-might-be-sinking kind of water.
My thoughts immediately went to, "How am I going to save Emma and Gabe if we have to abandon ship?", followed closely by, "I hate the lake water because I can't see so maybe I'll hang on for dear life."
Some quick thinking by Drew got us backed up and out of the water.
Then we realized: The cooler and the drinks were in the lake.
We could do several things:
A. Grab the cooler and leave the drinks. [Never, ever litter. Never, ever, EVER leave diet Sundrops behind.]
B. Use a net to gather the drinks. [We left the nets at the dock. Lotta good they were doing us there.]
C. Jump in and get the drinks. [I didn't even volunteer. I did, however, encourage the others to do so. I needed a drink.]
Sarah graciously agreed to take on for the team and rescue our drinks.
The same could not be said for the ice. [That's a joke.]
We continued on our merry way and had a rather uneventful but fun afternoon with good friends. [And made mental notes that the next time we do this we will evenly distribute the weight on the boat. And keep the cooler more secure. And keep the boat from sinking.]
I've had some thoughts rolling around in my head for a while. [Since there's not a lot else going on up there I hear that rolling quite a bit. They want out.]
Growing older is tough on some folks.
Some people do it gracefully [or at least their Facebooks indicate they are gracefully getting on up there] while others, like me, are struggling with being and "older" person. I'm not that old at 41 but here lately, I've felt like I'm 141 [which I'm pretty sure isn't humanly possible but who knows].
I've never thought of myself as old but the longer I teach middle school I am beginning to feel that way. They talk about things that I have zero clue what they are even saying. For instance, one of them asked me the other day if I knew what a "thot" was...that would be a no. [I have since consulted Google. It's another word for hoe. If I use it in a sentence I might say, "I used that a long handled thot to get the garden ready." Oh....that hoe.]
This generation can't write a complete sentence but they will make up words for words for words. Brilliant. I honestly cannot wait until they are running our country.
I was talking in class about seeing something on Twitter. A girl whips around and says, "You [implying me, the big, fat, old teacher] have a Twitter?" Well yes. I actually have two - one for me and one for my class. Is it so unbelievable that I would have a Twitter?
When we listen to music in my classroom I subject them to 80s hits. Not simply because that is the BEST music around but also because I cannot stand to hear the music on the radio today. [That does sound old womanish doesn't it?] I have quite an eclectic mix on my iTunes [Led Zepplin to Lecrae to Shinedown to Hillsong and lots in between] but I absolutely refuse to listen to music that promotes sex and degrades women [and any country song because they are all about mud, longnecks, dirt roads, and girls in short shorts].
For me, getting older has brought on a lot of looking inward and not much liking myself.
I don't want to be fat.
I don't want to be out of style. [I try desperately to NOT dress like a teacher.]
I don't want to have my own kids roll their eyes at me. [As if that's not going to happen.]
I am not going to share the details but will only say that I've been going through a rough season in my own personal life. But slowly I am climbing back out and finding out that the good out there far outweighs the bad.
John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
My life is abundantly blessed and God has been overly gracious to me, despite me.
There are so many things I still have yet to do. This is and will be a glorious time...so many are denied the opportunity to get old...and I will be fine.
[Soapbox time.]
I am REALLY bothered by something and I'm not sure how to deal with it. My feelings are really hurt when it comes to my children. I hate for them to get left out, especially by folks that are supposed to be some of their biggest supporters. They aren't invited or asked. Sometimes, events that are important to them and that they want others to be a part of aren't even acknowledged.
I know that it isn't all about my children. My world does revolve around them but it is supposed to since I'm mom. I don't expect it to always be about them. But many times, when my children have asked for support in celebrating big things in their lives, they've been ignored. Or, when there are opportunities to include them, they aren't invited.
I have prayed about this issue for a while.
I will continue to pray about it and ask God to specifically remove these feelings of resentment I feel. [I always say that if you don't want to see 7 different kinds of crazy then don't mess with my kids.]
[Soapbox moment over.]
As always, life as a Short is awesome!
