Playing House with My Future Husband

Yes, we did. We played house. We built our first home out of cardboard on the most beautiful day of the year so far, last Saturday. We used boxes P had kept from installing his new kitchen cabinets last fall. (Yes! he kept them all that long time just for me.) I had told him how much I loved boxes as a kid and had suggested we keep them and build a house out of them.

P called me up on Saturday morning and ask me to help him move some things out of his basement. I had no idea he meant the boxes he had saved all winter for me. We moved them right out onto the lawn, bought a couple of rolls of duct tape and went to work. It took all day, and it was worth it.

 We ended up inviting some of P's nieces and nephews over to play in the house and color on it - it was just too fun not to share!

One of the things I love so much about my man was that he had fun doing this too. If he had just done it for me and not enjoyed it, our house would have only had one room in it, but it didn't. It had a 2-story vaulted ceiling room, three little connecting rooms, lots of windows, and I added the molding flourishes along the roof. I also love that he wasn't embarrassed at all to be making and playing in a cardboard house with me, right in his neighborhood where all the neighbors would, and did see us. Love this man.

The Art of the Bullfight - Madrid

             One of my favorite things we did in Spain was go to a bullfight in Madrid. It was so intriguing. I loved it. It wasn't nearly as bloody and terrible as people portray it to be. When the bulls are actually killed the sword goes right into the top of their spinal cord and it's a quick death. It is terribe to kill that many bulls, but apparently the meat is donated to charity organizations.

 What I really realized is that bullfighting is about the dance. The closer the arrogant, charming torrero can dance the bull toward his body, the higher the score. It's all about flirting with danger. The elegance and calm of the bullfighter in contrast to the raw energy and anger of the bull is mesmerizing.

 This guy, the winner of the bullfight, was a little reckless, but the crowd loved it. He got grazed by the bull in the thigh, but most of the blood on him is from the bull. I have no doubt in my mind this guy wore white to better show-off the gory-red of the blood.

 I did feel bad for the bulls when they were ignominously drug from the stadium with shouts of "Ole!"

All in all, seeing a bullfight in Spain was a very cool experience. I have wanted to see one since I read The Shadow of a Bull  in sixth grade, and Ernest Hemingway novels in high school.

The empty part of the stadium were the "expensive" seats in the shade - that is why it looks somewhat empty - but we got the cheap seats with the noisy music and Ole! shouting.

Words of Wisdom Worth Passing On

This was sent to me - and I thought it was worth sharing again. Food for thought this morning about setting down our burdens.

A psychologist walked around a room while teach stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they would be asked the “half empty or half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: “How heavy is this glass of water?”

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz to 20 oz.

She replied, “the absolute weights doesn’t matter. It depends upon how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it’s not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I’ll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes.” She continued, “the stresses and worries in life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to hurt. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything.”

It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses. As early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the evening and into the night. Remember to put the glass down.