Boots on the Ground

It'll be 90 today, and is already humid. Oh, I love paying ComEd to keep me cool and comfortable! (sarcasm off) Of course, I do have to get out and mow the garden. You read that right. The weeds are taking over to the point that mowing may be my only option.

Things are coming together for this wedding. The cake and photographer were finalized on Friday. Over the weekend, much cleaning, painting and yard installation were done. I'll be calling today to rent tents for the party. More painting and cleaning (yay! I can avoid the heat!) will be done, and I hope to decide a few minor details. Things like what pictures to put back up after painting, that sort of thing.

This process is interesting. You find out quickly what is important and what is not. What is important in a wedding on a budget? Whatever the principals dreamed of--and men dream, too, I'm learning--when they thought of this day and time. These things are vital. It helps that the bride and groom have simple tastes, and have learned to winnow out the fluff. My job has been to facilitate and provide a location. That involves cleaning and organizing. John and I had a talk about "prime realty" this weekend. We both have realized, for a long time, that we have way too much junk taking up way to much space on this place. We have things that take up what we're calling "prime real estate," things we don't necessarily need or want. (Sorry, honey, the horses are not included in that list!) So we're trying to make good decisions about what to keep and what to chuck. And, lastly, remembering what is important and getting rid of what is not includes attitudes and even neuroses. All of us have the instinct or innate desire to make someone outside of ourselves happy. Listening to reactions about this wedding has focused us on those innate desires, and made us realize that they don't need to be satisfied. When the outside person is making unreasonable demands on your emotions, and you realize it, finally, it is freeing to be able to say, "That is not important." Without identifying specific people, I can't get any more specific than that. But I am sure you can apply this to your own life. And I would suggest you do it now, while it is not so very important, rather than waiting, until I did, for a time that it certainly is. It'll make that time that much less complicated.

Verstehe?