Visual representation of edible boredom

Sydney & Gabby's veggie creation
Originally uploaded by girlmonkey

As I busied about the kitchen on Super Bowl Sunday (side note: Why is it called Super BOWL? I know nothing of this game, but I'm almost positive it is not played in a bowl, nor do they wear bowls, have bowl cuts, nor play with an actual bowl. In fact, I'm pretty certain the game is about feet, and a ball. And really tight pants.) making various edibles for our extended family, the little girls made their level of boredom known by creating art out of crudite.

Several vegetables were harmed in the making of this photo.

My civic duty

I rose earlier than usual today, knowing that I wanted to swing by the polling booths before the vast crowds hit. Yes, today is SUPER Tuesday. Do not confuse it with Meh Monday or Abject Poverty Thursday.

I was going to bring two of my herd with me and have them witness the fulfillment my civic duties. And then drop them off at school. My 14 year-old (who's personal excitability level is on par with Lurch) was actually moderately interested in seeing me exercise my rights. Even more fascinating, my four year-old couldn't WAIT to go and VOTE. In fact, when I invited her to witness the prestigious event, she bounded out of bed. BOUNDED, I tell you. I was stunned. This is the same child that shouts at the sun for rising each morning.

By 7:20 we were on the road, in search of our polling place. According to Yahoo maps, the fire station was about 3.5 miles from the house. This seemed a little far to me, especially since I passed 2 other polling places on my way.

Fast forward to an hour later: I've dropped the 14 year-old off at school, the four year-old is crying because she wants to go "bote," and I am grumbling like Fred Flintstone under my breath (frickafrackbrickabracka) as I drive the same stretch of road searching in vain for the non-existent address.

Eventually I gave up. I took babygirl to school, well against her wishes, and called the county registrars office asking for better directions. Yahoo's maps were wrong. And I ended up voting during my lunch hour.

Thank GAWD I am a committed voter. Yay me. But how many other people face the same doom, spending eons driving in circles and eventually just give up, casting their votes instead to the four winds?

Confusing political process be damned. I know the truth: Yahoo is responsible for voter apathy and low turn out.

Super Tuesday | vote | Yahoo

Your chaos is my normal.

A quick phone call to my mom always puts the perceived chaos of our home life into perspective. And it's not necessarily anything that she says, except.. that it kind of is.

"What do you have going on this weekend?" she cautiously asks. Without a second thought I rattle off the various schedules of each of the inhabitants of our household. With six kids and my ability to go tangential on her, this can take some time.

In the background three kids are playing some form of tag, running up and down the stairs; one is advancing her solo drum career on Rock Band; one is watching Dr. Strangelove on the downstairs TV, surround sound blaring; and one is following me from room to room, attempting to draw my attention to her with her squawky why-are-you-running-away-from-me, borderline-whiny voice. Eventually she is sucked into the play of the older kids, and I slip out the front door for some privacy.

I finish the cataloging of our monkeys' planned weekend activities, which is followed by a pregnant pause.

"Mom? Are you...still there?"

"I'm here. Wow. That's... wow. You have a lot on your plate."

It's at this point in the conversation that I am at a complete loss for words. My mom is not being judgmental nor negative in any way. But her stunned demeanor always throws me.

The truth is, I don't feel like I have a lot on my plate. I don't feel like we live in chaos, or in an atypical situation, mostly because it's US. It IS our situation. It seems entirely normal, regular, life as usual to me. It is THIS thought that makes me pause.

Am I supposed to be overwhelmed?

Am I supposed to feel exhausted? Crazed? Hanging on by a thread?

Is it wrong that I am doing okay?

*breathe* I tell myself.
*be calm*
*There's nothing wrong feeling good about your life.*

And this is where I do the big *forehead slap.*

When one is busy living life, one's life is-- by it's very definition-- ONE'S OWN life. Normalcy is entirely subjective.

In my mother's world, normal was living with and caring for my 90 year-old grandmother, until my mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. And now, normalcy for my mom includes quiet, sweatpants, baldness and chemo.

Nausea and the constant white-cell battle she wages is exhausting and frightening to me. But chemo is the hors' deouvre that fills her plate. Like it or no, it composes her reality, and defines what is and is not normal in her world.

By contrast, normalcy in our home is defined by the many people and pets that live there: everybody has an issue, an agenda, a need or desire and they want it all solved, directed, attended to NOW, just like at work, at school, or at any other home in the world.

I suppose, yes, we do have a lot on our huge plate. But we also have much bigger appetites.

chaos | humor | cancer