welcome 44!!
I have spent the morning doing all my normal stuff, and then appending the words "on this historic day" to everything.
I got my kids dressed and fed on this historic day. I cleaned snow off the car on this historic day. I took them to school. I went to the post office. The bank. The grocery store. I unpacked groceries on this historic day! And I listened to the radio on this historic day. I don't have a tv and was in the car during The Moment. Still, even audio only it was so exciting and so wonderful.
I explained to Isaac en route to school this morning– "right now our president is George W. Bush, the 43rd president. When I pick up from Tae Kwon Do, our president will be Barack Obama, our 44th." Isaac thought this was pretty exciting stuff and wanted to dish about how bad Bush was. I did too, but almost nothing that Bush did is something I can possibly repeat to a six-year-old. I won't go through the list, because we've all been over that. But think of how you can explain "dancing a jig on the constitution" or "allowing torture" or "putting people in jail without a trial" or "lying to the American people"… you name it. I was coming up empty, but managed a short description of tax inequalities that seemed to resonate.
It makes me realize how utterly mundane my life is on this historic day. There's a certain Zen beauty to it: "How wonderous! How Mysterious! I carry wood; I draw water." But how can I in any way help our new president with his staggering tasks? I did put in some energy saving lightbulbs… I have a lot of clothes to give to the Goodwill, to say nothing of the old kitchen cabinets… but is that really enough??
I'm kidding.
If it's going to be a new era of responsibility and service I will have to think of something grander. For the moment, though, seeing as this takes up literally all of my time, I will have to settle for helping to raise some fine young men, with ethics and sensitivity, who will use their powers for good.
It looks like Isaac is going to add to his arsenal of amazing skills: the cello. It's in the formative stages, but I've discovered a wonderful children's ensemble nearby, after my attempt to get him back into Suzuki piano proved to be horrendously complicated. But this cello deal is just down the street in the next hamlet over. (Ghent, pronounced Jent by these quirky locals… I mean, US.) I've had some delightful conversations with the lady who runs it, and we have a date next week for Isaac to see an actual children's concert. When I mentioned this possibility to him, he began jumping up and down chanting, "I want to do it! I want to do it!" for several straight minutes, in a fashion that would tire any aerobics instructor.
So, we'll see how it pans out.
We're just coming off an impromptu four-day weekend, because school was closed on Friday due to weather. It was 13 below — air temp– on Friday morning! Pretty brisk! And those wimps closed school, so I had the boys all day. Luckily our fitness center was open for business, and so I could turn them loose there to run amok for a while. We had a couple dinner parties, including one in which our wonderful guests brought octopus! Can you imagine Isaac's delight?? He got to thaw, play with, examine, and then eat real octopuses! And I'll tell you what, they were yummy!
And now, off to clean out the fridge and fold laundry on this historic day!