7-23-17

I did not want to leave the house today. Actually, I have not wanted to leave the house since Dan left on Thursday, and the only reason I have was because my presence was my present on the days when I have. I think I could live for a month without having to see someone face to face, and I could probably live damned near forever without having to speak on the phone again. But I got up and took care of the critters this morning without complaining (this should be a gift all its own because I usually grumble the whole time I’m doing it), and I even called my folks to make sure they’d be home, so I could deliver today’s gift.

Last night before the dinner which was yesterday’s gift, I had some time to kill, so I stopped to look for a replacement pair of sneakers. The store where I stopped didn’t have any, but they did have leggings on sale – really on sale. For being in her late 70s, my mom has great legs, and recently, at my urging, she’s started wearing leggings. They look great on her because they emphasize her great legs, and I think it gives me a way to live vicariously through her. I do not have great legs. I have great calves, but from the knees up, my thighs could easily be mistaken for one of the Angry Birds characters flying upside down and about to crash.

I picked Mom up three pair of leggings and delivered them, along with some extra mangoes my friend Anne had given me on Friday, to my mom this morning. She was delighted and tried a pair on immediately, deciding she loved all three of them. I love being able to surprise my mom with small gifts, and sometimes I feel like it may make up for all the Christmases and birthdays when she swore she didn’t want anything “but for you and your brother to get along.” It probably doesn’t even scratch the surface, but because she doesn’t often shop or do things for herself, she is like a little kid when she sees the gift bag, and it’s always a thrill for me to find something she really likes.

Now here is where I think I sound kind of selfish. I am scheduled to shoot the Waterside Blues concert this afternoon, but it has been raining cats and dogs here, complete with a thunderclap that sent Buddy to the other side of the room for safety. The chance of rain this afternoon is 40 percent, so I am hoping secretly that the evening concert will be canceled, giving me a whole night to just drink wine and soak in the hot tub and maybe even smoke a Cuban cigar all by myself. The time to myself has definitely been a gift to me, too, and I think it’s made gifting others sometimes easier, even if it does force me to go out of my way to deliver those gifts.