Monday, April 19, 2010

"Do what you can, where you are, with what you have." Theodore Roosevelt

i feel like i've always lived like that! as a little girl, i remember being so creative, working with whatever i could to make what i wanted.  clever.  very clever.
even then, i was aching to have a store....o.k., it wasn't that fancy pants....i made my dream come true in the basement of our house!

i had everything out on the ping pong table....neatly organized by category.  i things around the perimeter of the room.  i used scarves as delightful decorations.
music was playing on the radio. sea shell necklaces and bracelets made by me were on display! 

of course, i worked for days to prepare my indoor store.....decorating, pricing, organizing, sending personalized invitations.....so much creativity and energy for one little girl's sale.
today, it would be a job just for a little kid to pencil in the date for the sale!  there would be conflicts...not involving the sale but to have a date FOR the sale. 

busy. busy. busy. everyone is busy. no time to pencil in a family dinner.spending time with family is a part of of growing up.  spending time with family is a spring board for living. time together teaches  us how to live in the world outside of our families.

kids are busy, parents are busy, grandparents are busy, aunts and uncles are busy, friends are busy, families are busy, nieces and nephews are busy.

who's going to be left? every generation seems to be busier. every generation seems to move a little bit further away from home....what will family be like in 25 years?

i already feel like jane jetson....i have my own george, played by biff! his boy, elroy played by t.j., daughter judy, played by grace! i have no "rosie", the cleaning lady that seems to think i have to program it like "rosie".....and of course, i'm well covered on the dog, "astro"....that would be played by my 2 astros, daisy and fitzy!
one big happy family in the fast lane!  zooming by each other from planet to planet!  even george/biff
having mr. spacely zip by to check on business. r.t., biff's boss is no mr. spacely.  they have their i-phones and computers....they're not quite so invasive. 

 "r.t." likes biff having family time...he believes that if the family is happy, biff is happy.  if biff is happy at work, the family  is happy.  

kind of the feel good, you look good.....you look good, you feel good mentality.  i like it.
   the first time i spoke to r.t., i was alone with my little baby grace....i was up to my elbows in boxes...giant moving boxes. biff and i had had just moved to boston for him to start his new sales territory.  "r.t." had movers for us...it was all taken care of....except for the emotions of leaving "home"/family with a brand new baby! the move was an awesome move....created just so that biff would have even better sales success as a new husband and father .  

it was the beginning of our life as  a new family!  our new life together....far away from friends and family!  we hadn't thought of that when we told the movers that they didn't have to unpack for us.  we told them we were good.  we told them we had it all under control....after all, we were practically newlyweds, how much could we have to unpack?

that was when we had our first indication that some of life's basic tasks were a tad bigger with a baby than we had realized.
biff was off at work...a good thing...he loved his new territory....we both loved our new boston life....but....

we had no friends.  we had now family. we were just us.  and little sleeping, eating, crying, waking, cooing grace.  grace certainly couldn't help us unpack.
family came and went.  they were all happy for us to be off in a new place, creating our own family lives.  they could visit, it was great!  they could help with the baby a bit....but, they couldn't feed the baby.  that was my piece of the puzzle.

and one day...with boxes up to my elbows....r.t. called to speak to me! he was thrilled to have us live in the same place where he still had family.  he wanted to hear all about our new home, the move, the town, the baby!
that's when i choked out the words..."it's great...we lovvve it."
he somehow detected my tentative tone.  hmmmm?  

and that's when he said, 
"hakuna matata!"
and it was that day, while grace lay sleeping in my arms, that i learned

"hakuna matata!"


“Hakuna Matata” lyrics

Music by Elton John, lyrics by Tim Rice
Performed by Max Casella, Tom Allan Robbins, Scott Irby-Ranniar, and Jason Raize

Colors:
  • Timon
  • Pumbaa
  • Both
  • Simba

Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!
Hakuna Matata?
Yeah. It's our motto!
What's a motto?
Nothing. What's a-motto with you?
Those two words will solve all your problems
That's right. Take Pumbaa here
Why, when he was a young warthog...
When I was a young wart hog
Very nice
Thanks
He found his aroma lacked a certain appeal
He could clear the savannah after every meal
I'm a sensitive soul though I seem thick-skinned
And it hurt that my friends never stood downwind
And oh, the shame  He was ashamedThought of changin' my name What's in a name?And I got downhearted  How did ya feel?Everytime that I...
Hey! Pumbaa! Not in front of the kids!Oh. Sorry
Hakuna Matata! What a wonderful phrase
Hakuna Matata! Ain't no passing craze
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!
Hakuna Matata! Hakuna matata!
Hakuna Matata! Hakuna matata!
Hakuna Matata! Hakuna matata!
Hakuna Matata! Hakuna--
It means no worries for the rest of your days
It's our problem-free philosophy
Hakuna Matata!
(Repeats)
I say "Hakuna"
I say "Matata"
 it was a great lesson for me. 
i learned lots of lessons of adapting
 and using what you have. doing the best
 with what you have.
 r.t., no mr. spacely, made it all clear!  thankfully!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
ejEVczA8PLU