Thursday, April 7, 2011

the clouds are moving faster now, and the sun is breaking through


it rained terribly on monday night. enough to rip the old barn on the corner, the whitewashed one with broken windows that let the sunlight spill in, right in half. it made the local news and people are still driving their friends by to see it. the sour cherry tree in my backyard split in two. the tree that has seen births and deaths, and sunrises for the past 40 years.

and like that downpour, so the financial stresses of late have been falling. at first in small drops then in gushes. a second semester of graduate school. rent. bills on the counter. new brakes.

we have a little bench in our office at home. a wooden one with blue cushions. i sat on it last night and stared at the floorboards. thought about money. what it stands for and the value i place on it. robert came into the room and silently took pablo off my lap, gathered him in his arms, and stood me up. in movies, this is the part where the couple starts dancing. she in his oversized work shirt, he in sweats. they spin around in the dusk light and suddenly it's all okay.

but he didn't spin me around. he just held me and i laid my cheek against his work shirt. and around nine in the evening, i knew. it really was going to be okay.

because it doesn't take much, and it certainly doesn't take much money, to make me happy. i thrill to warm baths in the morning, long walks in the afternoon, and lazy sunday evenings. i cherish belly rubs, sweet e-mails and toffee vanilla creamer. and my favorite meal cost $3.

 the  best meal ever: wendy's. spicy chicken nuggets. honey sauce. sour cream and chive baked potato with sea salt and black pepper. caesar salad with avocado ranch dressing. 

so maybe another storm will come. maybe this time the crab-apple tree will break. but if i can keep having moments like last night, i know i won't. because things fall apart. nature defies itself and great limbs fall like weights to the ground. but the best things aren't things at all. they're free, and with them, we're all millionaires.

15 comments:

Nicki said...

What a wonderful perspective you have. To be honest, the best things in life truly don't cost any money.

Dee Paulino said...

"The best things in life are free", such a true statement.

Jennifer Rod said...

I love wendy's baked potato... with a side of chicken nuggets :)

Shay said...

This is a lesson we have been taught in the last couple months as well. Sometimes we didn't know if we would make it but we did and are stronger because of it as a couple. I am so grateful for that!

melissa said...

You have a great outlook! And that food looks delicious right now! x

charla beth said...

this is breath-taking. what a powerful reminder. your view of life is so simple and beautiful and it always speaks straight to my heart.

Amber said...

I think we are Wendy's soulmates. Thats the exact meal I order every darn time :)

Meri said...

I'm like you- my boyfriend calls me a "cheap date" all the time (in the nice way, that is). I get so sad when I hear about trees getting "hurt" and I want to go plant like a hundred more. Crazy weather!
Meri

Unknown said...

It sounds like you guys had a pretty bad storm, too! We felt some of it, as well...

Your outlook on the situation at hand is great and very positive. I share similar worries like you do and often times I wonder if we are supposed to break down every once in a while and worry over things that follow us in our daily lives? It can only go up from here, right?

Your husband sounds like a wonderful man!

Rebecca said...

yummy

Kaylia Payne said...

I love your positive outlook, it so wonderful to read! And we don't need money to be happy, as long as there's moments like the one you had at 9pm that night :)

Sarah Elizabeth said...

This is all so true. Like you, the things I love doing most don't cost a penny and I'm so grateful that I'm content with simple things. It makes me feel incredibly rich even though I have very little. x x

Evie said...

great post... we had that storm too. it woke me in the middle of the night and i thought the roof was literally going to blow off. shane didn't seem that concerned, but every time our house shook with the thunder i would sit straight up in bed (as if i was getting ready to fun or something!)
~Evie
PS. feeling a little better, thanks!

Evie said...

*run

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Very true! And remember as long as you've got 3 dollars you've got a meal!

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