Dragon Mood? -- yearning to breathe fire on my children, roast and nibble on their necks and then eat them! (with thanks to dooce for making it okay to lovingly devour your children)
Once upon a time . . . actually, last weekend . . . I went to Mad City in faraway Cheeseland to see my kids. It was so wonderful and relaxed and full of can-I-sit-in-your-lap happiness for me, that I have been savoring it (like a good red wine, Caroline) all week!
My kids are the apples of my eye, the cream in my coffee, the joy in my heart . . . and they're really cool people to hang out with, too!
Lina is my older child, with her warm dragon-y outlook on life and people. She loves her dog, good food, "value" wine and that sushi-delivering motorcyle guy. The cup is almost always way more than half-full for her and Lina always looks for the good in people. I love the way she writes, her embracing of wildness and piratical "wenchiness," and most especially, I appreciate her good "eye."
Josh is my younger child, a curious combination of compassion and wicked smartness. His smartness is magnified by incredible tenacity and persistence. He'll bulldoggedly rip your illogical arguments to shreds as well as sit tenderly by, handing you tissues as you cry. He loves the company of women, especially strong women and he isn't afraid to tell Lina and me how much he loves us. He also has a passion for music, which at times, pours out of his being like a localized Niagara Falls. I love watching him at those moments.
My children, like John Kerry's daughters, cut me no slack. They don't allow me to whine, to feel sorry for myself or to label myself as "I"m too old," "I'm too tired" or "I'll never be able to ..." For all those growing-up years that I pushed them, they are now returning the favor of holding me up, nudging me along, and encouraging me. They are two of my very best cheerleaders.
When I am with them, I feel an ease that I feel nowhere else. It's something that I marvel at!*
Last weekend, we visited the ever-amazing Dane County Farmer's Market that rings the capitol building. It's a true re-enactment of an ancient forum and the primeval marketplace. Everywhere, you see people. They meet and greet others they know, buy food, sell food, haggle over money, tell stories, share a laugh, rub shoulder to shoulder. That morning, women carried happy bouquets of sunflowers and dried herbs. Men carried backpacked babies and sacks of midwestern bounty.
Last week, there were "politicos" there, as well, handing out bumper stickers and buttons, encouraging people to sign petitions or to register to vote. Caroline and I loaded up on Kerry-Edwards stickers, and proudly wore our "Women for Kerry" stickers on my chest and her sassy back-pocket.
It's an incredibly rich experience visiting that market and I relish it every time I'm there. With so many good, earnest people selling the "fruits" of their hard work, I get an almost dizzying sense of healthiness, bounty, and plain old well-being. In this life, walking the four blocks of the market with my beloved kids . . . well, it doesn't get much better than this, does it?
*(Sorry about the end-of-the-sentence preposition there. Horrify Josh!)
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