I am at the end of a long but very appreciated vacation. While I was out of town, in West Virginia, we ran constantly. We were seeing family, going to football games, going to places for our daughter, running, running, and some more running. My daughter is two and is accustomed to two naps a day and a minimum of one. She is also use to having her crib. While in West Virginia she did not have a crib and most days she had no nap. She is not the baby who will nap in the car or in a stroller for more than a hot second. As a result of her being tired she was very grumpy and times and when she is grumpy she wants her Daddy. When my daughter wants me no one else will do. For a good portion of the vacation she would climb up on me and sleep where ever I sat whether it be my in laws living room or an outlet mall. She would follow me going, "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" with her arms in the air reaching for me. Between the running and her clinging after a few days I became very tired. I was getting grumpy but feeling guilty. I was guilty because I know my wife would be happy to hold her and she sometimes felt our daughter did not like her because of her attachment to me. I felt guilty because I was getting frustrated and then it hit me.....I got problems. My daughter loves me so much that when she is scared or tired I am her go to person. She trusts me unequivocally and loves me equally as much as the trusts me. If that is the problem I have then I have no problems.
For years I tried to become a firemen. I applied at several cities. In Norfolk I finished in the top five of the application pool after taking a battery of tests. Hundreds of people had applied for this job. I did not get it, those are the breaks. I was crestfallen. My wife called the office of the Chief of Fire and laid them out for not hiring me. I was at first a little embarrassed and felt like I had a problem because I would not put back in for that city after her call. I quickly realized that my wife loves me so much that she will tear anything or anyone down that tries to stop me, hurt me, or take my dreams away. If that is the problem I have no problems.
My mother in law comes in town a bunch since the baby was born. My wife and I get little time together and even less when ma-in-law visits. Sometimes we get frustrated. She is an amazing person and I love her very much but sometimes my wife and I want our time with our daughter. When I turned 40 we were at her home in West Virginia. I had made a comment several months before that a bounce house for adults would be fun. She remembered this comment and after a nap I went outside to discover she had rented me a bounce house for my birthday. That is hard to top, my wife topped it with a Les Paul for the same birthday. I still want time with my wife and I have problems with that. The simple fact is this. I cannot fault her for loving her grand daughter too much. I cannot fault her because I know she love my wife and I the same. I do not have the stereotypical "oh shit here comes my mother in law". She is involved with my daughter when others are not. She changes her life to watch our daughter so I can make an out of town trip. If loving someone is a problem I have no problems.
My father in law is a hard working man. He is rough but is equally as tender (even though he would not want you to know this). This man gives no quarter if you screw with him but when I am in town he is willing to give up his bed because my wife and I can not share a bed due to my horrendous restless leg. He cannot share a bed with his wife due to his snoring (I think the women in my wife's family are just grumpy bed mates). He works constantly but will give up one of his few luxuries for me when he really does not have an obligation to do so. I have no problems.
It is easy to see what is wrong in your life. Wrong sticks out like a dildo in a yarn factory but it is easy to overlook the good in life. Enjoy every moment with every ounce of your being because it is fleeting. They say stop and smell the roses. Roses are great but sometimes the rose is right in your family and you take that beauty for granted everyday. Love you all.
No comments:
Post a Comment