My Sweet Husband

This weekend was a getaway.

A getaway from stress, to-do lists and being of service. It was time to see the Eurovan in Olympia (which is about 2 hours from our home) after it came out of the shop with a decent bill of health. This weekend also was filled with birthday parties and people coming to see our furniture for sale, and huge to-do lists. The signs of stress were very apparent to me. The usual suspects had lined up on the wall: uncontrollable crying, high sensitivity, frustration and zero patience.

This is the part where I tell you how much I LOVE my husband. We were talking (or was that just me?) and he told me I needed a break. There was so much to take in and not enough time to soak it in and process it. Spending every minute to take care of to-dos, selling items, making sure the kids were given extra time with me so I can help them process what is going on, and still maintaining our everyday busy schedule with homeschooling and classes, I forgot some of the simple things one does to maintain a proper healthy mind. Things like sleep, healthy eating and taking time out to do activities I enjoy like reading or taking a walk. The kids and I are doing yoga 3 times a week, but since they don't love it enough to do it 3 times a week (or they had realized that this is not, in fact, something truly for them, but for me) even that had become something that felt stressful for me.

He told me, "Why don't you go down to Olympia by yourself and look at the camper and get a hotel and stay and relax. Don't come home until you feel ready. Don't feel like you have to do anything for awhile."

So do you know how long it took him to convince me? One minute. He was so right and so aware of my disposition and needs. I looked in his bright blue caring eyes. I also saw that he looked older and tired. My sweet boy, I thought. When I met him, he was so young and high energy and wild. He was over a year younger than me, and at 26, that seemed like a big deal. He was like a lot of men at 24, you know, eager, excited and ready for anything. But more than that, he had just moved out from home only a few months before. He was just starting his independent adventure, and I had been on mine already for 7 years. I remember thinking to myself, he is so immature, so young and naive. That was over 10 years ago. I looked at him now and saw the years on him. The wrinkles under his eyes had gotten deeper and crossed each other, and his skin was softer. His face and neck had broadened as all men's seem to do as they age, taking away any sign that they were ever a young boy. Seeing his understanding and compassion and love looking at me, I thought he really has grown up into a beautiful, sensitive, powerful man.
That is when I said, "Okay."

So I packed up my needed things and drove away. Right before I got to Olympia, the owners of the Eurovan called me on my cell to say to come by. Surprisingly, this was my first time in old town Olympia. I loved the neighborhood, it's aging 1920's housing that was now decorated with peace and diversity flags. People were sitting out on their porches, enjoying the unusually warm sunny weather for fall in the Pacific Northwest. I parked my car, right next to the only house that had a big white Eurovan parked outside and I knew I had found the right place. I looked it over, gave it a test drive and decided with all my (lack of) automotive expertise, that it seemed great. We plan to have them put the van back into the shop to fix a few things, while we await funds to come through, and will come back next weekend to sign the papers. Their little 7 year old girl in her sweet heart shirt and flowing skirt says to her mom, "but I don't want you to sell it, it's like a home." (Yes, it is like a home, our new home) I look at her and see her dealing with the pain of change and think of my own boys and hope they will love it that much. The woman tells her it is going to a good home with 2 kids who are also going to care for it. Yes, VW's are just like a family pet and I feel honored to have hers.

I take their suggestion at staying at the Phoenix Inn that sits 2 blocks from the Port of Olympia's Farmer's Market. The hotel is not too bad, kind of like a Best Western with crystal chandeliers hanging in the lobby. The women who work the front desk were both very friendly and after finding out about my getaway, asked me where I found such a wonderful husband. I told them I was indeed a very lucky woman.

The night and next day were peaceful and insightful. I stayed as long as I wanted while doing just what I wanted and felt the stress disappear into the sky. With a happy heart and mind, I drove back home, and gave lots of hugs and kisses to everybody.