A New Companion
When Hubby passed on to that Great Parallel Universe was the first time his wife had ever been alone. ?
Our father was a university professor. Therefore, it was financially beneficial for his daughter to attend the same institution.
Although the rest of her siblings enjoyed freedom, the firstborn (aka guinea pig) had to live in the familial home until the day she and Hubby married. Of course, that was all due to a maternal quirk.
Her mother did not wish to lose face by having her daughter move out and yet live in the same town as the family. So basically, the girl, and as a grown woman, lived in two worlds.
One was European in both culture and behavior. In other words, extremely old-fashioned. The other was the modern and more progressive world. Somehow, this lady managed to find a balance between the two.
But there was a price for trying to fit in with school and friends while following the maternal rules. And whenever the two worlds clashed, her mother won, and the daughter lost.
The loss came in the form of never quite fitting in, in what the daughter considered the real world. The real-life she wanted to live.
After she met Hubby, life became easier because he accepted her completely, with all her quirks. So when their children became teenagers, and before she brought the wrath of how she learned to parent from her parents, this lady always asked Hubby one question. “Is this behavior normal?” Most of the time, his answer was yes. And she felt some of her cultural confusion lift.
Some people do not know how to be alone. This lady assumes part of the problem arises when those people look in the mirror. They do not see their true selves. They only see what they expect to be and choose to accept. They choose rose-colored glasses.
To some extent, those people may thrive on social media. Or not. But please note not everyone has that problem. Some people enjoy what social media offers but are still comfortable with their own company. In other words, as the Romans would say: De gustibus non est disputandum. (There is no accounting for taste.)
In any case, your humble writer enjoys her solitude. She goes to bed and rises when she wants. She gobbles up books. Sometimes binge-watches shows and works in her garden, despite the bloody heat.
Her complaints are with Mother Nature and her minions—creepy crawly critters and the heat. When it comes to excessive heat, this lady has a theory. Mind you; it is neither scientific nor verifiable. However, she does believe the heat is Mother Nature’s version of hot flashes. And during a drought, there are scant chances of hosing MN down.
Most women past a certain age know hot flashes come and go at will. They are the miserable aspects of being female. Oh well. We all have our crosses to bear.
This writer also loves to visit with friends and family. At least most of them.
At this point, the European side of this lady rears its head. Across the pond, at least, she believes it is still the case. There is a clear distinction between friends and acquaintances. However, in America, not so much.
That explains why your humble writer has a few good friends and many acquaintances. She chooses to spend life’s precious moments with friends and occasionally with tolerable acquaintances.
But now, the lady of the manor received a precious gift.
One of her granddaughters moved in for a while to attend classes locally. Although both girls visited in the past, the joy of spending extended time with her and her sister when she visits is so much fun.
We enjoy the best of both worlds.
The companionship of a roommate without the intrusive aspect roommates can bring to the equation. In other words, we each have our space and do our thing but enjoy spending time together at some point every day.
Thanks to the Grands, my vocabulary received an upgrade.
Who among the seasoned addressed their parents and each other as “Dude?”
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