Ian is the happiest boy in town today. After getting dressed, eating breakfast, choking down his "vitamin"-laced juice, and saying good-bye to his older brother, he sat on the porch swing waiting dejectedly for his school bus. It was then that I realized that his school was closed today. I suppose he could have been pissed at me for forgetting. He could have had an extra hour of sleep, after all. Instead, he's happily watching Cartoon Network right now.
At first, I was annoyed that my work plans for the day were derailed again, but looking over the schedule, there are a lot of driving around chores to do. There was never much computer time left over anyway. Now, I'll have pint-sized company as I drive around Bergen County.
As Ian laughs at the cartoons, I'm picking up the refuge of a busy Memorial Day weekend – damp bathing suits, sweaty Boy Scout uniforms, barbecue tongs, stinky cleats. I want to squeeze out a couple of blog posts and then I'm on my way, with Ian in the backseat, to the CSA pick up and the lawyer's office.
Since moving is now highly unlikely, we have to move to Plan B, which is to put band-aids on the problems in our current situation and hang tight. Plan B involves a $2,000 retainer fee.
I'm trying to take an Ian approach to this change of plans. There is a lot to be said for our current situation – a 15-year mortgage, a home that has been tailored to our taste, a good commute for Steve. We'll make some adjustments, and all will be fine.
Now, time for a housing post….
Apt. 11d 
maybe I should wait for the housing post (or open my blog back up), but there is so much going on in my mind about the market. I spent way too much time yesterday looking at the upcoming auction of MN properties. Farms, a b&b, condos, houses on the river, city houses, remote farm houses with 5 acres — what do I want to be doing in the next decade? And most bids starting at $5,000? Who was in these houses? Where are they now? How can a market function when this stream of sub-priced housing is running just below the surface? Should I buy one to rent out so in ten years I can give it to one of the kids?
LikeLike
OK, kris, housing post is up. I hear you about bargain hunting. That might be part of Plan B, too. I’ve started scoping out weekend properties in upstate NY.
LikeLike
Good luck with the school.
LikeLike
Good luck with the school. And, good lawyers can be well worth the money. I hope for a quick and effective solution for you.
And, there’s lot to be said for looking on the bright side. I’m essentially convinced that for most (given, that is, sufficient food and a place to keep you out of the snow and rain, but even that is not necessarily a given) the difference between happy people and sad people is how they look at the world.
LikeLike
“the difference between happy people and sad people is how they look at the world”
Sing it, sister. We (psychologist and I) were trying to explain to E last week about optimists and pessimists. He couldn’t quite get the glass half-empty/half-full thing, so I said, “OK, there’s a plate in front of you with two cookies.” Pause as he says “Coookieeees!” “Do you think “Yay! There are two cookies!” or “Awww, there are only two cookies.” He was the former.
I told my daughter the same thing. She said “Only two cookies?” 🙂 As we say in my family, she must be some relation to her father. Or it’s the 11 year old thing.
LikeLike
But, though I do think the statement is true (how we look at the world), I don’t think it’s truth means that it’s easy to become the kind of person who looks at the world in a way that makes us happy. In fact, I suspect, as you suggest, that fundamental personality (i.e., in my neuro-egotist mind, brain circuitry) determines the tendency to a great degree.
Learning is possible, though, and it’s worth pointing out (on those few interspersed moments in time when the pre-teen isn’t having a best or worst moment of her day).
LikeLike
My daughter said the other day that her teammate was enthralled and excited because there was an elevator in the building they were competing in. Their coach said “well, if you can be enthralled by an elevator, you’re probably going to have a pretty happy life.”
LikeLike