the pendulum in my life tends to swing swiftly and i'm wondering if it's like this for other people, too.
for example, my week didn't start out great and only got worse. monday night was sleepless, tuesday was fraught, tuesday night was sleepless and wednesday—wednesday i hardly remember. not because i indulged in too much cheer on St. Patrick's day. in fact, it was the first St. Pat's in a decade during which i did not have at least one pint. i was too damn tired. i was a zombie. there were a few points during the day at work when i really believed i wasn't going to make it. (dramatic much?) wednesday night i was desperate and swallowed two Tylenol PM before dropping into bed at nine o'clock.
thursday morning? i woke up a new woman. i'd slept more soundly than i had in a couple weeks and wow—what a difference. of course it helped that it was sunny and 70 degrees outside. amazing the impact sun and warmth has on a person's outlook, even people in the northeast who've lived here forever and endure the seasons year after year. makes you wonder why we aren't all migrating south or west. then again, the winters make us appreciate the rest, right?
anyway, thursday was awesome. i even made dinner. friday was equally great. and the week culminated in yesterday—an achingly beautiful day. clear blue sky, warm breeze, new-smelling air. there were zillions of people out and about (unfortunately, most of them were on the A train at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, but that's another story)—as if a reset button was pressed on everyone at once.
i'd agreed weeks ago to babysit Scott and Henry, and it was just great luck that it was such a perfect day. my aunt Val took Scotty to a birthday party just after i got there, so for a while it was just Henry and me. we hung out in the front yard, playing with trains and sidewalk chalk and bicycles. there were kids tearing up and down the street on bikes, on foot (there was one kid pushing another in a grocery cart) and i was pushing Henry around and around the driveway on his big brother's training-wheel-less bike. it was hard to say who was having more fun—him or me. later, after Michael arrived after work and Scotty was back from his birthday party, there was a point—during the game we were playing, 'Hostage Situation'—when i saw Scotty's face. he was laughing hysterically, genuinely, and i remembered feeling that was a kid.
i remember so clearly a night when i was six or seven, my babysitter Kelly let me and her little brother (and my friend) Kevin stay up way past our bedtime. we were in the basement, there were toys strewn everywhere and i was high on life—and probably sugar, but i truly believed nothing could ever be better than playing with my favorite toys and people i thought were great, up later than i thought possible.
for a few seconds last night, as i watched Scotty's face, i wondered if we were making similarly enduring memories for him. at the very least, i knew they'd be more enduring memories for me. it felt so good to feel so happy.
Michael and i drove back home just before midnight. below 14th street, the city was utterly alive. throngs of people on corners, crossing streets, standing in lines that wrapped around buildings. i thought maybe i wasn't the only one who's life went on an upswing when the mercury rose.
still, i'm hoping the pendulum slows down a little for me. i made it through last week in tact and i'm glad and relieved and even a little proud of all i accomplished. i just don't want to do it again anytime soon.
mbm
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