Before our most recent trip to Tobago, I picked up a few books at the library for pleasure reading. One of them was Ghosts of Greenglass House, by Kate Milford. I didn’t realize till we arrived at our destination that the book I had picked was actually the second in a series. I was already into it, and there were too many characters for me to set it down if I ever hoped to finish it. I kept reading. I planned to get the first book out of the library when I got home.
This weekend, I lived an introverted homebody’s nightmare: I went to the Bronx Zoo on a beautiful holiday weekend with six kids, and I went to the mall afterward to get new shoes for Two, who is the most indecisive shoe shopper I have ever met. Perhaps that’s one reason why she has only one pair of shoes.
Many times, I get so caught up in needing everything to be just right before I get started, that I never actually do anything meaningful.
Back when I was looking for pants that fit, I did a search for red chinos. I knew exactly what color I was looking for — a faded, orange-red. In fact, I found some online, but only in boys’ sizes. As it turns out, that shade of red isn’t “in” this season for ladies. All I could find for myself was a washed-out pink color. Close enough, I thought. And they were on sale.
I had a boy in mind for the red pants I had found. I didn’t spring for them until I saw them in person in Branson, MO at a Gap outlet. I knew they’d be perfect for Four, and they were. He wears them for days at a time, and I have to peel them off of him to wash them when they get so dingy I can’t take it anymore.
I got my pink pair several months before I got Four his pants in the color I wanted. When I saw our pants side by side, my gears started turning. I thought, I’ve dyed some different items before, maybe I could just match the color.
The TLDR? Don’t take your journey when you’re stressed or in crisis.
When I heard about the Enneagram from a friend, I liked the idea right away. Like many people, I suspect, I like taking quizzes that tell me more about who I am. Even better if there are details, things I can really resonate with, and in this case, a compassionate narrative to walk alongside as you (re)discover your strengths and weaknesses.
The time my mom put my pigtails in too tight. That is to say, the scalp sensitivity referenced below may be of a genetic nature.
There are some things you can only learn by living them.
Black Hair is something I am beginning to understand. I first had a glimmer of understanding in college, watching a comedy where Caucasian girls were disparaged for flipping their hair around. As a Caucasian girl, when I did have hair, I always liked the way it flopped around, especially when I was running and had it in a ponytail. But it also always bothered me when other girls with my hair type were really obvious about their personal grooming or touching and flipping their hair around in public. In the movie, it was portrayed as something annoying because it is something Black hair just doesn’t do.
This year, my middle daughter is in her third year of competition dance. For each of her three classes, she has a different costume, makeup, tights, shoes, and a hairstyle. For ballet, that usually means a bun, and after I finally looked up how to do it on YouTube, I’ve had good results. It’s super satisfying to take a couple of my oldest son’s worn out (and laundered) black socks, cut the toes off, and roll them into a fat donut that makes my daughter’s bun look thick and round.
