yesterday, today and tomorrow (m)

A business acquaintance of mine--who did extremely well in the bull market--bought his wife a "little castle" in the countryside of Ireland for her 50th birthday.

My friend, P, walked into the little village store his first morning there and asked the store clerk if he carried the Wall Street Journal.  The clerk, in a thick brogue, said "Now would ye be wantin' yesterday's paper or today's edition?"

My friend, puzzled, smiled and said, "Today's, please!"

The clerk said, "Then ye better come back t'morrow."

My friend was amused by this, but it made me think about time.  Do I live in the present? Or the future?

For weeks now, I have been preparing for the 40th wedding anniversary of my brother and sister-in-law.  The party is at my house tomorrow night.  Fifty-five people are expected for a full dinner.   Appetizers to desserts.  No caterer.  My nieces ostensibly are hosting it, but my job is to get the house ready and contribute meaningfully to each course and teach them how to throw a multi-faceted event.

Preparations started weeks ago with the house painting (separate and painful subject), relocation of the overgrown flower beds, installation of a water fountain, pest control (all-natural, keep your fingers crossed), and repair of the outdoor refrigerator. Yes, all these things were necessary and the party was an excuse to get them done on time. Nothing has gone as planned, people have been crawling all over my yard, the grass is killed, irrigation lines are broken etc, etc.

Yesterday, I looked like something out of Diary of a Mad Housewife.  Just as I was putting cases of beer and bottles of wine into my neighbor Joan's extra refrigerator, my cell phone goes off.  It's my husband.

T: What are you doing?
Me: Huh? What's up? I'm busy.
T: I was thinking...the Yankees are in town starting tomorrow (the night before the party).
Me: (Blood pressure up 100 points because I know where this is headed..) So?
T: I thought we could do a Family Night at the ballgame.
Me: It's the night before the party!  There are things to do!  I need some help!
T: Hmmm.  Well, think about it.

I thought about it.  I called my friend, Susan, to vent.  She listened and gave me great advice and helped me see T's perspective while being sympathetic to my point of view.

That night at dinner, I proposed that my family help me get most of the preparations out of the way so that I could go to the ballgame with them.  They actually did.

We met at a restaurant and ate fish and fruit and salad and then walked to the game.  It was a beautiful night and we all spent some much-needed time together.  We took turns between innings switching seats so we each had a chance to sit and talk with one another.  At one point, I looked over and Sam rubbed Harrison's head in a big brother way and my heart swelled.

They say we don't remember days but we do remember moments. 

I'm grateful I had this moment with my family this evening.  Walking to Fenway Park would have been really challenging before the weight loss.  Tonight, it was a breeze. 

I'm grateful for Weight Watchers.  It's helped me live more fully in the moment.