Preservation

Sometimes I feel like an Alzheimer's patient must feel, trying to embrace the moments of beautiful--but fleeting--lucidity. This is, of course, followed by days or weeks of a mental void that proves so profoundly effective that one doesn't even realize the void exists. This void comes from (or is a direct result of) blogging, ebaying, tv-ing, and other misappropriations of my valuable lifetime. I don't get enough sleep and I find myself more snappy than serene to those I love. During my last one, I intentionally didn't put on my glasses or insert my contacts so that I wouldn't have to see the dust accumalating around the house. I just squinted at the computer screen all day.

Fortunately, the last few days have been a wakeful time in which I've prepared and eaten well, exercised, written, and made time for sunrises and sunsets and cups of tea and rest. I've kept fresh flowers and fresh outlooks. I've vaccumed underneath the cushions of my soul, and struck gold.


***

Last night I went to a business dinner with my husband, and I met the board of directors that he works for. I was very intrigued to finally get a glimpse of the people he has evening meetings with.

And I promised to keep quiet. ( : I can be particularly opinionated sometimes, and I tend to like to stir up drama with and between authority figures. I have to say, I was quite charming. Not in the least bit witty and problematic. ( : I asked him to take me to Barnes and Noble afterwards so I could look at the bargain shelves. I'm glad to say that I finally bought my Christmas cards (at 75% off) and I will be mailing them out to my friends directly. (I hate to pay full price for ANYTHING.)

We talked on the way home about the great disparity that has formed between the "upper middle class" and the "lower middle class." It seems so strange to me that in my own lifetime of thirty years that the middle class has become so obviously stratified and that the term "middle class" alone doesn't even exist anymore--it has be further clarified. I made the observation that we must belong to the "median middle class, " which probably makes us a more socially marketable couple because we can relate to those in both the lower and the upper middle classes. Those are the kinds of things we talk about. (Thank God I have someone to talk to me about those kinds of things.) He disagrees with me on 99% of all subjects, but I've finally learned not to take it personally. To to amuse myself sometimes, I'll say something random just to see if he'll disagree. Of course, I certainly wish he would agree with me more, but my solace lies in that I have a lifetime to bring him around to the higher common sense.

Spouses are great to have. What captive audience God has created, let no man put asunder. ( :