This was the plan my husband and I had for this past weekend: Run errands, walk dogs, watch football, hang out with friends, clean our dirty rugs and organize our overcrowded garage.
It was supposed to be uneventful.
As soon as we got back from walking the dogs Saturday morning, I got a text message from Ziva about the horrific crash at the OSU homecoming parade in Stillwater.
I immediately looked at my Twitter feed and started crying. The pictures and descriptions from witnesses were heartbreaking. Ziva, Justin and I are all OSU alumni — we know the parade route is usually lined by families with small children.
Ziva was also texting because she knows Justin works as a correspondent for the Associated Press. He is the Tulsa bureau, and frequently has to travel around the region when national news happens.
I don’t cover as much breaking news these days, but we literally have passed each other on the Turnpike at times covering various tragedies over the years.
Justin was off to Stillwater to work, and I was getting overwhelmed by the sadness of what was happening there. So I turned off the news and focused on the tiny things I could control.
When the universe confronts me with wildly upsetting things that I have no power over, I like to give myself busywork that I can control.
I’m not really sure where I get this trait from. I suspect it may be my German great-grandmother, Edwina, who I never met but I’m pretty sure I got my height from (she never even cracked five feet).
I ran errands and made an addictive Chex mix for a girls’ night on Saturday with some of my best friends.
I wonder if the vintners of this lovely Tuscan red blend ever envisioned it being paired w/ candy corn Chex mix pic.twitter.com/iCzaNQ9aKD
— Cary Aspinwall (@caryaspinwall) October 25, 2015
Recipe: Salted caramel popcorn (just cheat and use store bought), Honey Nut Chex cereal, pretzels, honey-roasted peanuts, Reese’s pieces and candy corn. You’re welcome.
I fixed the leaky kitchen faucet. I rented a Bissell and cleaned all the rugs in our house. I rearranged some furniture.
I don’t have any answers or wisdom to offer about what happened this weekend, but I do have a really clean house.
I went to a restorative yoga class on Sunday where our instructor had us focus on opening/release exercises and letting go of anger and resentment, to make room for love and forgiveness.
If I’d thought this plan through, I would have gone to a therapeutic yoga class after cleaning the rugs and moving furniture, because it turns out my lower back is not that forgiving.
We had put the rugs up in frustration after adopting a naughty little rescue dog you may know as Goldie Hawn, who was never properly potty trained.
It took several months and infinite patience, but it’s finally happened. Cross your fingers.