I'm sure my micro cadre of readers know that when I write seriously (uh about .05% of my posts), I wax philosophically about how life is not meant to be a cake walk but is a series of challenges for us to over come and grow by.
There's been a lot going on in the de-I world in terms of challenges - Father's house burning down, child out of work, child's child with serious learning/speaking disorder, sink broken leading to having to replace counter, transmission needing replacement, etc., etc., etc. But don't cry for me Argentina. The business is hanging in there, no fatal illnesses, all are dealing with their challenges (what more could a parent ask for?), no one is living in Afghanistan or Zaire.
One of the real blessings of going though those challenging periods is how much it makes you appreciate all those little pleasures. This weekend with the whole Gary incident, I was possibly feeling the challenges a bit more. As Derf's wife Agent W was out of town working, I Derf if he come over to de-I Towers for as I said a much needed time of doing nothing with alcohol.
Derf obliged. He arrived around 4 PM. We toured the garden eating a peach of the tree and munching on berries. We sat down on our patio outside and drank some good vodka and olives. After an hour or so, I went inside and whipped up a salad from leftover grilled mahi-mahi, capers, and mayo, another salad with leftover chickpeas, oil, vinegar, tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and chives from the garden, a couple of artichokes from the fridge steamed and a sauce of sour cream, half and half, and dijon mustard washed down with a nice Chablis. Followed that with a little cheese and nice 10 year old Burgundy.
Eating, drinking, talking, enjoy the incredible quiet. Around 7:30 we go upstairs to our deck looking west to watch a fantastic sunset with a little pisco (a Peruvian brandy). Once the sunset is over, we went to the deck looking east to watch the moonlight mountains. Derf headed home around 11.
Not that complicated - taking a little time out - appreciating what you have.
7 comments:
Can't get much more relaxing than that. Challenging times are just that, challenging. We fail, learn, pick ourselves up and move on. It's that or give up.
Word verification: Chalk
I'm a firm believer that there is nothing better than spending an evening drinking, eating, and spending time with good friends while forgetting about everything else. Those moments comprise some of the best memories I possess.
I think the whole family shares this attitude, don't know how we managed that though.
That really sounds entirely lovely and relaxing. Good food, good friends and good booze is my perfect trifecta.
There is nothing better than sharing a little down-time with a good friend. And we all need this from time to time, lest we let all the little stresses in life make us crazy. I'm glad you had some time to decompress.
i can do everything except the booze part godammit. (and you forgot to mention your wife's car woes! i think that should have made the list of complaints)
Sounds lovely, Dadd-o. Sometimes taking a brief repose to appreciate things is all you really need to recharge. I'm hoping that once the house is empty (relatively speaking) again, I'll have a chance to catch my breath and get a little zen going myself!
Post a Comment