Little did I know that all those hours I spent at Mama's house were teaching me a valuable lesson. Something I think about a lot lately. I feel like being busy is a badge of honor among my generation. Particularly woman. Dare I say it - Stay-at-home-Mom's.
I realize that I may have just raised blood pressure 110%. I know that busy people do not want to hear that being busy is another way of numbing. Turning off all those big feelings that come creeping in when we find time to do - nothing.
My mother was the busiest. Mama was not. She lived six houses away and I could see her back porch from ours. I spent a lot of time going back and forth between our houses. Mama taught me doing nothing is the key to everything,
She always had time to play dolls, catch butterflies, count buttons, color a picture, teach me how to sew, write a poem, plant flowers, and make Eggo's and ice cream for lunch. She kept very busy and she would tell me all about it! But it never seemed to be the kind of busy that got in the way of everything else.
Monday was wash day and had been since she was on the farm. There was only two of them and I laugh now at how much work went into maybe 10 pairs of underwear, one bra, and two sets of overalls. My grandfather didn't leave those on the farm either.
Wash took all day. Because there were other must do's during the day, for example: watch Phil Donahue and listen to hog prices before Service and Music. Lunch was at noon. And nap time every afternoon. Dinner was at 4. Bedtime at 7:30 pm.
The other must do's taught me something. To make time for something that feeds your soul, something fun, something with no value to anyone but you - make time for the people you love.There are days I look at my boys and wish that Mama and Papa lived around the corner. The best I can do is try to teach them myself that sometimes doing nothing together is everything.
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