There were times the last four decades when I couldn’t lose myself enough over the weekend to regenerate the energy I’d need for the coming week. Just as my parents did, I’d succumbed to the worker bee mindset; the protestant work ethic so to speak, except we were Catholic.
Of course having Mom and Dad as role models didn’t exactly teach me how to relax; and I had no idea what I really wanted or was timid enough not to dream aloud. So, I GAVE MY ALL in the employment positions that I acquired; fortunately, they were educational and helped me later discern what I didn’t want to do.
Monday. Another week and the beginning of another month! My first job as a morning teacher for a private daycare! Tuitions are due, so smile and remind the parents that the payment is due today…smile sweetly and tell them it’s no problem; (yes, we’ll still feed your child) but, don’t forget the check tomorrow or a late fee will apply. No problem, we love having the little darlings here, not to worry….especially when they share with us that they didn’t have time for breakfast or, instead of a hot meal, they ate ice cream this morning!!! Wow, how lucky can they be??? We teachers are excited, too! We are anxious to have the sugar highs over with so we can exert some discipline, introduce the new songs for this month’s program, and get them settled by naptime; good that the theme this month is farm animals. We’re gonna need Old MacDonald’s help…
Monday. Another brown bag. This one holds yet another weekend project surprise for the repairman…seems that the hubby tried to “repair” the small appliance, but removed one too many screws and couldn’t remember how it all went back together again. So, he tossed it into the crumpled brown bag and – too embarrassed to drop it off on his lunch hour – sent it with his wife so that SHE could drop it off to our little ma and pa repair shop. The repairman looks inside and asks,
What was wrong? What was the original trouble?
The wife can’t remember because it took over fourteen months of cautious reminding (nagging) before hubby dear finally picked it up yesterday, then threw in the towel, as the game was going to start in five minutes.
Whether the repairman declares it fixed or suggests it be given a proper burial, the item will sit on the shelf until the next payday or back to school week; whichever comes first. In either event, the family has learned to live without it. Its features and benefits, once a godsend to the modern kitchen, are no longer as necessary since the town now has a MacDonald’s on both the east and west side, and Mom doesn’t have to cook five nights a week anymore.
Monday. I can play homemaker half the week! It’s the perfect fit for a young mother with a second grader, as I can also parent-teach in the morning, get paid for it, then come home for the afternoon and be waiting to greet all the little critters who have me through Wednesday as their Mom-on-the-Block; kind of a personalized Jack-in-the-Box but with an apron, offering snack foods without labels or toys, and providing a safe place for the neighborhood kids to gather for bathroom stops and play.
Monday. There is still more week than money at the end of the month. Even now, with all my budgeting experience and cooking techniques, I can find myself with the occasional surprise of a missing household item. As a young bride, I remember the morning I ran out of paper towels and debated whether an extra absorbent kitchen towel or Kleenex layers would make a better grease blotter…thankfully, God is kind, and I have never had to make that choice again.
Today, I’m out of eggs. Upon further examination, I have the makings of a great Mexican feast; except for the required tortillas. So, I will forage through my “emergency shelf” and freezer, and then put together some forgotten combos that I haven’t fixed for a long time. It’s three days before payday, but we’ll make it as we always did.
Come next Monday, I’ll have eggs and tortillas! How great is that?!!!
