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Friday
Feb022007
Home is where the short people are
February 2, 2007
So I sat with some new friends in San Francisco, eating vegetable soup and chatting about that one time when the ship Chinua and I were on in India broke down in the middle of the Indian Ocean, when I heard a car's horn outside. I jumped up and fell over, then scrambled to my feet and ran through the kitchen to the back window, banging my head on the glass as I tried to look outside. Oh.
"False alarm," I said, as I headed back to the table. They looked a little alarmed.Â
A few minutes later, while I was horrifying them with tales of a Hindu practise in India which involves "holy men" hurting their own "parts" by chaining things to them and stuff (it was part of another story- I swear- I know, you don't want to have me over for dinner now, do you?), my phone rang, the happy Latino Chinua ring, and I snatched it up.Â
"We're here."
I jumped up, repeating the scene from before, with an added race down those stairs that I showed you in the last post. I leapt on top of the van and hugged it senseless. Not really, but I did open the door before Chinua had fully stopped, and jumped on the kids in their car seats. They responded in kind. And they were excited to see me. Kid A was awesome, he didn't do what he normally does when I get back from being away, which is to put his hand over his face and shake his head slowly, with a very sad look, as if to say, "I am stunned by your absence, your lack of loyalty to my person."
Nope, this time we all hugged in a big pile. The Leaf Baby, though, looked at me curiously, as if to say, "Have we met?" and a big chunk of my heart broke off and rolled out into the parking lot. I quickly ran to get it and stick it back on, though, remembering that he doesn't even know how to say his own name, and therefore cannot be held responsible for not having a joyful enough reaction to my homecoming.
I really, really love my family.Â
Pretty soon I was back in the mix. We stayed the night in a little room in that house, and I spent the night climbing up and down the ladder in the loft that my Superstar Husband and I slept in, for various requests from my restless kids. And a little distance makes me a lot more patient, let me tell you. However, on the way home the following morning the following conversation almost caused me to run over my own foot, I won't lie.
YaYa: "I'm hungry!"Â
Me: "I know sweetie, one more stop and we're going to go eat at In N Out."
YaYa: "Out?"
Me: "No, In N Out. Burger. Just wait."
YaYa: "OUT?"
Me: "It's called In N Out. It's a restaurant."
YaYa: "It's not cold in here!"Â (Thinking that I said, it's cold in and out)
Me: "No, it's CALLED In. And. Out. We're going to eat there."
YaYa: "It's NOT COLD!"Â
And so on and so forth. These conversations have me wondering whether I'm actually sure that I speak the English language. Maybe this is some sort of Matrix situation or something.Â
"False alarm," I said, as I headed back to the table. They looked a little alarmed.Â
A few minutes later, while I was horrifying them with tales of a Hindu practise in India which involves "holy men" hurting their own "parts" by chaining things to them and stuff (it was part of another story- I swear- I know, you don't want to have me over for dinner now, do you?), my phone rang, the happy Latino Chinua ring, and I snatched it up.Â
"We're here."
I jumped up, repeating the scene from before, with an added race down those stairs that I showed you in the last post. I leapt on top of the van and hugged it senseless. Not really, but I did open the door before Chinua had fully stopped, and jumped on the kids in their car seats. They responded in kind. And they were excited to see me. Kid A was awesome, he didn't do what he normally does when I get back from being away, which is to put his hand over his face and shake his head slowly, with a very sad look, as if to say, "I am stunned by your absence, your lack of loyalty to my person."
Nope, this time we all hugged in a big pile. The Leaf Baby, though, looked at me curiously, as if to say, "Have we met?" and a big chunk of my heart broke off and rolled out into the parking lot. I quickly ran to get it and stick it back on, though, remembering that he doesn't even know how to say his own name, and therefore cannot be held responsible for not having a joyful enough reaction to my homecoming.
I really, really love my family.Â
Pretty soon I was back in the mix. We stayed the night in a little room in that house, and I spent the night climbing up and down the ladder in the loft that my Superstar Husband and I slept in, for various requests from my restless kids. And a little distance makes me a lot more patient, let me tell you. However, on the way home the following morning the following conversation almost caused me to run over my own foot, I won't lie.
YaYa: "I'm hungry!"Â
Me: "I know sweetie, one more stop and we're going to go eat at In N Out."
YaYa: "Out?"
Me: "No, In N Out. Burger. Just wait."
YaYa: "OUT?"
Me: "It's called In N Out. It's a restaurant."
YaYa: "It's not cold in here!"Â (Thinking that I said, it's cold in and out)
Me: "No, it's CALLED In. And. Out. We're going to eat there."
YaYa: "It's NOT COLD!"Â
And so on and so forth. These conversations have me wondering whether I'm actually sure that I speak the English language. Maybe this is some sort of Matrix situation or something.Â
Reader Comments (6)
Thanks for your comment on my blog. Your photos are beautiful, your writing is lovely. Adding you to my blogroll.
Sigh.... I want to have you over for dinner! And I would love to hear you talk about the craziness that is India.
welcome home! amazing what a little distance can do for your patience, isn't it. an afternoon off, and i'm ready for all kinds of tribulations in the night.
and sure we'd have you over for dinner!
Such a mystery to watch children learn and you describe it so well.
Even when the trip away is wonderful, there is nothing like reuniting with my favorite short people-and especially my very favorite tall person! The last time I came home to my Loves, I bawled all the way down the ramp at the airport, in full view of many interested onlookers. I'm sure they would have been shocked to know I was only gone for a week. My ultra cool school-aged kids even cried! Oh, and I would be honored to have you at my table anytime...I think I'm pretty much un-shockable at this point in my life. Such dinner conversation would not be unusual at this house so when you arrive, I will have to hear all about the above-mentioned story for sure!;)
that's an awesome tale of unconditional love and its endless flow,
What a difference a break makes,
my kids watched the kumba mela documentary this summer over and over again, THey liked it better than Dora...How entertaining the sword dancers whom are smaller than they are,(this past summer the same dancers from the video came to our farm and performed at our sunday feast... that was an amazing scene!)....india came to us.....
Your stories remind me of the funny shivites running naked, and the others who perform weird austerities like swords in the neck, similar to what you may have whitnessed. The kids think it amusing, but to many westerners it seems a little bit um, crazy?
you are invited anytime for dinner, vegetarian stuffed eggplant sound yummy? hee hee, no conversation is too much for us!(well accept any canabilism stories, that may be too much...) hee hee,
although i've yet to go on a plane, or to india, and i can sing in bengali and sanskrit, india feels very close to my reality, everyone in the neighborhood we are in is from either india, sri lanka, china or vietnam,
it's through stories like yours we are able to live it's mystic potency,
I find it so interesting because i really want to go to india ( we're waiting till the kids are older, which is when we may be able to afford it!)
We watched Mother Theresa the other night, if any of you like movies about india and mother theresa, you will LOVE it!!!
I want to go and volunteer in her orphanage like my sister jahkey did when she was mother theresa was still alive, that will be one of my first stops in India before i try to take in anything, i wish to give back...
You are such a beautiful friend,momma, and amazing wife! It can feel like eons when away from the family for a few days or a night, and ahhh the calm and peace is so soothing for a while, and then it turns in to anoyingly unpleasant because you miss them terribly!
When i cross the georgia straight from salt spring or Victoria to Vancouver, it feels like i've been to a far away land, and my children were blocked by the momma ocean and i am on a journey to a new world to find them and myself again....
You got it down girl! Love and devotion all around! Lets have dinner this year for sure, your place or mine, and all the family is invited too you an even eat with your fingers like we do!!!!!!
love menaka