Sushi and Sorrow

I’m a very jumpy person, easily scared and startled.
Not one of my best qualities.
I woke up Saturday, with something tickling my leg, and with the deadly combination of an overpopulated insect/rodent community, I might have over reacted. ☺
I jumped out of bed, as resolutely as a mom who imagines her child crying in the night. And with a triumphant flourish of the arm pulled back all my covers, so I could catch and kill the thing tickling me.
I saw two dark colors on my white sheet, about the size of golf balls. Screaming at the top of my lungs I could barely hear my thoughts “Mice so bold as to get in my bed!” while fumbling with my glasses and the light switch at the same time.


You know what else looks like two mice in your bed, and might tickle your leg, the pair of socks you wore to bed that later slid off your feet in the middle of the night.

I’m sure my girls enjoyed the eye opening scream at 6am Saturday morning. I just decided to go ahead and shower since I was so wide awake. I wonder what my life would be like without my imagination.


You know who else is paranoid- one of my girls, C—of this swine flu. She’s been wearing a bandana over her mouth, and not letting people sit close to her. She keeps explaining that you get it from other people’s mouths. Which, while correct is highly unlikely from anyone in our family. She told me she wanted to sleep on the couch and not in her bedroom with her 2 roommates. Today several of my children sat around listening to a 40 minute broadcast interviewing doctors and things about the swine flue. (oh so doomsday-esq, the only news they have of the outside world is the radio! We’re alone!) They are even passing out papers in the streets of how to prevent spreading it. Joanne talked to a health official Tuesday night, and they said there are no confirmed cases on our peninsula. I found out two more words that my kids know in Spanish that are really English candy, and sticker.

Some really stinky things have happened the last few days. Somebody who living in our town and who had begun to create relationships with our missions group died on Saturday, and then my friend's parents had a horrible car accident. But good things have happened too, like obedience from children when you least expect it; or hand rolled California rolls with friends; or fruit salad with granola, pecans, and cottage cheese in it; or opportunities to be more self-less. sigh. I think the sushi most helped with my sorrow.

to bed it is.