One of my primary objectives when raising my two boys was to instill a sort of calm. No drama. Nothing is serious–until it is. Today the universe handed me a reminder of the old objective. I was digging around the glove compartment of my car and found the message: the straw. It was bent and the wrapper was tattered but the memory was fresh. In my previous life, I drove the boys to music lessons, football practices and games and many social gatherings. And often, I would stop at a local coffee shop for an iced coffee before we left. On one occasion, I received an extra straw. I put it in the glove compartment and declared that I was saving it for an emergency. One of the boys wondered what would constitute a “straw emergency”. I answered that stopping for an iced coffee and not getting a straw would be a disaster. Hence, the “emergency straw” stashed away for a situation of this magnitude. We all laughed at the absurdity of it.
Now the boys are nearly grown and we have all been searching for our places in an ever-changing family dynamic. I can only compare it to four separate planets orbiting their own suns with their own orbiting moons–all within a 1200 sq foot cape. Some days you can see the roof bulging. But life arms you with the tools you need to cope – even if you are just fighting your own resistance to change.
I know that I’m going to be alright. I’ve got the emergency straw.
By Cathy Placella Catterson, one of our esteemed community contributors. Cathy welcomes comments and can be contacted via email at cdj1188@aol.com .