Monday, March 28, 2005

An Easter to Make the Baby Jesus Proud

Holidays are typically spent in one of two ways: 1) in Iowa with my family, or 2) alone, usually cleaning my house because nothing is open. I don't mind being alone on a holiday, but I pretend it's not a holiday. I don't have any family in town and my own family is becoming more spread out. My sister is in Texas in married bliss, and my brother is at the University of Iowa (it's almost as if he can only survive on non-college air for a day and a half...his visits are pretty short). So my parents are left in a precarious position, they've been travelling more to visit their various children, or I believe they think they'll be cut out of our lives. With them madly travelling about, I'm alone in St. Louis. Don't get me wrong, if I made a phone call and said I needed my mommy and daddy, they'd be here the next weekend. They also invite me on their travels to Texas with them...and usually stop overnight on their way. At some point I began to feel like I was the oldest child with a lifetime of solitude ahead of me...only to be kept company by my brigade of cats. I would encourage the cats to procreate...only to have the throngs of kitties produce enough dander to complicate my asthma and kill me.

This year I knew I'd hang out with my boyfriend. But it's different than JUST hanging out with a boyfriend. I'm in love with him, I enjoy everything more when he's there, I feel calm, content, and like I'm where I'm supposed to be, and I know I'll be with him the rest of my life. Neither of us have family in town and neither of us are religious. I casually mentioned making a ham on Easter and that's all that was really said.


Thursday during yoga class, I kept thinking about how much I love being there with him, looking over and seeing him doing his poses, seeing the stress from his week lessen (and I have to say, his ass looks great when he does yoga). They announced a class on Easter Sunday and I suggested we go to it.

By Saturday, Easter plans began to take shape in my mind. After running around in our costumes, we went to Schnucks and I got a 6.5 pound ham and some sweet potatos. We got up on Sunday and went to yoga. It was excellent, much more difficult than the Thursday class. We did Sun Salutations and I did half moon pose correctly for the first time. I felt strong and really centered.

After yoga we went to my house and I made salmon patties (yes, he is the only other person I know outside my family that likes salmon patties, and I adore that about him!). The rest of the afternoon we spent starting a garden in the back yard. We dug up the clay that is my yard, mixed in manure and soil, and planted spinach and brocoli. There are some peat pellets (that look shockingly like little delicious brownies and have almsot made their way into my mouth) growing seeds to include tomatos, canteloup, basil, and peas.

I didn't say "my back yard" because he's moving in soon and it'll be "our back yard". I never thought I'd be able to make room for someone in my life and now I feel like I can't imagine NOT making room for this person in my life. I'm continually looking for ways to make space...and the more space I make, the more real it becomes and I get more excited to have this man in my daily routine.

So after the yard has been worked as much as our bodies can work it, he goes home for a couple hours and I start dinner. I made the ham, biscuits, sweet potatos with butter, brown sugar, and pecans. He made artichokes and they were fabulous! My mother used to make them when I was little and it was pretty nostalgic. After dinner we curled up on the couch to watch TV, read a little in bed, and faded off to sleep.

My Easter wasn't spent with my family, I didn't go to mass, and I didn't look for eggs. But I do feel like I spent it in a special way. I did yoga to build my body, I worked on my yard to grow plants, and I spent the holiday with someone that has started to feel like family to me.

Easter Lesson of the Day: 6.5 pounds of ham is way too much for two people. We will be eating leftover ham for a very long time.

2 Comments:

Blogger stc said...

You've got at least one reader. (I like to click on the "Next blog" icon and let it take me where it will, at random.)

I'm puzzled by the title you gave this blog. The baby Jesus is associated with Christmas, not Easter. And, no offense intended, I'm not sure what part of your day would have made Jesus proud.

That sounds like a criticism, which I regret. I'm not a fundamentalist Christian and it sounds like you spent Easter in a way that is meaningful to you. Yoga, yard work, and intimacy with someone you love -- I agree that these are all good things.

As I've already said, I'm just puzzled by the title. :)
Q

3:20 PM  
Blogger Carolyn said...

Q,
I appreciate that you read my blog.

I understand where you're coming from with the Baby Jesus comment. I'm a spiritual, not religious person that grew up Catholic. The Baby Jesus thing wasn't meant to offend, and unfortunately, only people that know me well would probably get it. I sometimes ask, "Is that really something the Baby Jesus would be proud of?" "What would the Baby Jesus do?".

Honestly, by my past religions (and probably my parents) standards, I most likely don't make the Baby Jesus proud. But I do what I can everyday to be kind and compassionate to others.

Though it might be offensive to someone who's religious, it's just something quirky I say sometimes. Thanks again for reading!

11:11 AM  

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