More new Followers today and I give you all a big THANK YOU for signing on to follow my RV blog. I appreciate each and every one of you: Al and Debbie, Rockkram, Mark, and Nothing. I hope you find our lifestyle interesting.
Sun shining at Fiddlehead Marina in Olympia, WA.
Yep, most of you know that yesterday wasn’t the best of days. It certainly wasn’t the worst of days either. Not by a long shot. I received many comments and all were appreciated very much.
After I wrote the post yesterday, Bruce and I went over to the Tumwater McDonald’s so I could cover my hurt with an ice cream cone. (Food always works) We were sitting there eating and playing a round of Gin Rummy and who pops in but the Grands. We were in a corner booth and didn’t see them coming. Stephanie was right behind them a couple of steps.
They were coming over for an early dinner and saw our car in the lot. We had plenty of room and asked them to join us. All was fine. Stephanie was wide awake now and her usual self. I kept the conversation geared toward the girls and we all talked about school starting soon, first day back at daycare and so on. Nary a word was said about what had happened a few hours prior.
That’s pretty much how things go in this family. None of us hold a grudge or harbor hurt feelings for long. Life is too short. No apology….no explanation…no discussion. It was just like nothing ever happened.
This morning we were on our own schedule again. (yippee) We went for our early walk of almost 4 miles. When we leave I always turn the radio on for Annie. Keeps her company and drowns out the noises from outside and she won’t bark then. We walked in and the song playing on the radio was Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow. The lyrics of the chorus are:
“I’m gonna soak up the sun
Gonna tell everyone
To lighten up (I’m gonna tell ‘em that)
I’ve got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I’m looking up O I’m gonna soak up the sun”
Perfect song to walk into the RV hearing on the radio. Coincidence? Here’s my thought and it is a P.T.L. moment so if you don’t want to go any further with this post…you can move on. It’s OK this time.
That song was letting me know that I just need to lighten up, move on, bask in the sun. I know my daughter wouldn’t deliberately hurt my feelings, nor I hers. I’m not a perfect person, or Mom, and I’m sure I’ve said or done things that have hurt her at times also. The main thing is we always lighten up and move forward. I choose to look UP and give a silent prayer that I have a daughter. Hearing the song was, in my opinion, God’s way of reminding me how lucky I am….don’t screw it up by keeping hard feelings. Let it go.
Beautiful day to be looking up!
I think some readers thought the post from yesterday indicated that I would not be speaking to Stephanie again, or that we would not be seeing her or the family before we pull out of here next week. No, and I’m sorry if I gave that impression. We’ll be seeing them all again this weekend. And I’m sure nothing will be said about yesterday’s incident. That is just how this family operates.
Most of the time Bruce and I do feel under appreciated by our family. We’ve given of our time so much over the past 15 years. Yet, we know they do appreciate it, they just don’t really express it much. That’s life. We do what we do out of love and not for any glory.
People playing in the water at the marina.
So for now, we are looking forward (very much) to heading down to California where we will be able to soak up the sun for a few weeks. We check-in to the Pismo Coast Village on September 14 and will stay until the first of November.
Thanks for coming back for a little peek into our life as fulltime RVer’s. Never a dull moment.
Until next time…..so long for now!
18 comments:
such a mature response!!..good for you..glad to hear that all is well in your 'little neck of the woods'..go and soak up the sun..love that song!!!
I know exactly how your family works. Ours is the same. We hardly ever say sorry, just let our actions speak. I don't think it's the healthiest way to live but it works for us because we make it work.
The thing I feel most sad about is the lack of greeting, or otherwise, hugs especially where the boys are concerned. We are not a huggie family and I take the blame as I'm not all that comfortable with hugging more often than I like to admit to. I watch others hug and feel slightly envious yet it is a habit that can be developed. It just takes a little more effort.
Nice to hear the day ended on a god note.
I'm glad things have turned out on a happy note, especially before you leave for a few weeks.
I am glad you are feeling better today. Keeping a grudge and bad thoughts hurt oneself more if one does not chase them away pronto. You did and that's great.
Thank you for your update today. I think we all could relate to your story yesterday. Using our blogs to talk about these kinds of issues is helpful to everyone. Sometimes we just need to vent.
Maybe at a later date you can let Stephanie know that you were hurt by her lack of respect and lack of thanks. Otherwise how will she know how you feel? But certainly, I wouldn't say anything if that would lead to your relationship with her or your Grands being cut off. Families are often tricky business!
I'm with you, Margie...Shake it off and move on...Life is too short to get too serious about anything!!!
Margie - I have been so busy getting stuff ready to leave next week and concerns about repairs, I have read any blogs for a few days. As they say - miss a day, miss a lot.
I will now read your blog from yesterday. But without first reading it, I can attest that relationships between daughters and mothers are nothing less than challenging!
Keep the faith!
Good for you Margie, glad to hear things are better. Donna & I have always been the firemen of our families, whether it was a timely loan when someone was in need or help if someone was sick, like in my sisters upcoming surgery, and it is understandable to feel as you said under appreciated, but I remeber as a boy being told most good turns go unrecogmized but they will be recognized tenfold in the Kingdom of Heaven. I sure hope so.Be safe out there. Sam & Donna.
I'm glad all is well with you and your daughter. Hurt is hard to carry around for long. Safe travels.
It's amazing how a few hours can make such a difference in a family. I'm glad you all got together again so soon - and sometimes, I guess it's not bad that things are left unsaid.
An omen! That's what it was - Soak Up The Sun!
I am so glad today was a better day. You all are GOOD people, with great hearts and love. Take care.
You have to make it work however it works.
If it's easier to not address your hurt feelings, and just forget about it, then that is what you do.
Personally I can't do that. I need to get it talked out, get it off my chest.
Not always the best decision, but for me it works.
I sort of wish that I had your forgive/forget attitude. Might have gotten me into less trouble!
Cheers!
I'm glad things are OK!
I read today's post here carefully; familial communication is not one of my fortes. I am happy to say that I learned some things from your post that I will mull over and apply to my own life.
Soak up the sun!
Glad it worked out so well, now you can head out on a positive note.
Nothing better than a good dose of sunshine to fix what ails ya'
I agree that sometimes saying nothing is best - spoken words cannot be taken back.
Glad to hear that you were able to look up and move on. =) Now go and soak up some of that beautiful California sun! But don't forget the sunscreen! That sun is not as forgiving as it once was...
“You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”
It has been my experience that anything longer than a two week visit with family results in strained relations. Best to move on. :)
We can all relate to your family and appreciate the words written in your blog. It's good advice to look up and follow the sun. Glad everything worked out, as you knew it would.
Susan & Sam
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