What We Didn’t Do Over The Weekend

/ Ally Bean

The weather was supposed to be clear and warm over the weekend.  THAT’S WHAT THEY SAID.  So I planned accordingly.  I thought that we’d take the weekend off from our usual home improvement projects and goof-off instead… but that was not to be.

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I thought that we’d go to a rural county park on the other side of the city.  We go there a couple of times a year.  We like to walk the trails which take you through groves of wildflowers + into farmlands + beside horse paths + near a stream.  But we didn’t do that.

Then on Saturday night I thought that we’d have a cookout for the two of us with burgers + grilled veggies, cold beer and perfectly toasted marshmallows courtesy of moi.  I figured that we’d kick back and enjoy our deck for a few hours.  But we didn’t do that.

On Sunday morning I thought that we’d go to an outdoor antique show (which is more flea market than an antique show) at a county fair grounds.  We like going there because it’s filled with all sorts of old stuff and costs only $3.00 per person.  It’s a fun way to get lost in time.  But we didn’t do that.

Then on Sunday afternoon I thought that we’d spend some time sitting down in The Spoon [the lowest level of our terraced forest backyard].  I figured that we could just do nothing or read our books or play some backgammon or whatever.  But we didn’t do that.

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All of which leads me to the real point of this post that: PLANS CHANGE OFTEN.  And that instead of grumbling about this truth, I’d do well to remember the following Rules of Life by Robin Patricia Williams that I keep on a sticky note on my desktop because, well— they are the rules of life.  And because, clearly, I need to refer to them often.

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As some of you have figured out already, I’ve had quite a bit of difficulty getting the following to show up here on this post.  I’m going to try it one. more. time.   Then if it doesn’t work, I’m going to go drown my sorrows in a cold adult beverage.  Of course, if it does work, there’s a good chance that I’m going to go celebrate my victory with a cold adult beverage.  From my point of view, this last attempt at posting The [Revised] Rules of Life is a no-lose proposition.

  

 

34 thoughts on “What We Didn’t Do Over The Weekend”

    • Polly, thanks. It really was no big deal to have things not work out. It’s just that I was trying… and it seems to me that effort should be rewarded. But maybe the real reward of this weekend was to remember the Rules of Life. Glad that you like them.

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  8. You crack me up with your “d-bomb.”

    My attitude is variable. I’m feeling a bit cranky about how my summer is going, due to a shortage of things like trips to the beach or fun outings and a surplus of late nights trying to catch up with work. But…I can certainly work on shaking the crankiness.

    I do have to say that I have a *great* attitude when travelling, especially internationally. When things don’t work out the way I planned, I consider it an adventure. (There may be exceptions to this, but in the glowy memory of my current state of travel-lust, my attitude is *always* great when travelling.)

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    • alejna, glad to know that the “d-bomb” didn’t offend you. 😉

      Like you, my attitude is probably more variable than it should be. That’s why I put The Rules of Life where I’ll see them every day.

      I know what you mean about this summer not going as planned. We’re getting lots of things done around the house, but fun/travel activities have not happened– which, obviously, is what started me onto this post.

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  9. Hello Everyone, I just tried to update The Rules of Life, but something went wonky with the WP editor. Having now struggled with it for more time than I care to admit, I give up. You can read the addendums in the comments above & just pretend that I managed to post them in a clever way that enhanced what Robin Patricia Williams originally said.

    I DID IT. I GOT THE REVISED RULES TO APPEAR ON THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST. FINALLY.

    … and now if you’ll excuse me there’s a cold beer with my name on it calling to me from the deck. 🙂

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    • Betty, thanks. And you do have a good point there. We ended up enjoying our weekend inside the house doing projects & watching movies/Olympics. STILL, a bit of sunshine & outdoorsy-ness would of been nice.

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  12. As someone who is notoriously nice I think you should go back to your original rule – Be nice to everyone. It doesn’t matter if they deserve it or not. You are better than they are.

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    • You are a much kinder person than I am, Mike. I could revert to my former friendly ways, I suppose. But the last few years have lead me to believe that some people just don’t understand what nice is. And I’m tired of getting sucker punched for my efforts.

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  13. I’d say be nice to even those who don’t deserve it most of the time. Just remember that being “nice” may simply mean not slitting their throat. It does not necessarily mean putting yourself in a position to get sucker punched.

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    • Well said Zazzy. I’m really a very polite & pleasant person overall. Most of the time I’m oblivious/indifferent to what other people are doing. But I have learned that being nice [as defined as being friendly] is something that gets me into trouble.

      I need to have boundaries– which I do by reminding myself that not everyone deserves to be my friend. Or, to put it into the language of The [Revised] Rules of Life, by not always being nice.

      [IMHO, the prob with the word “nice” is that everyone defines it differently. And that is where the confusion starts.]

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  14. So what did you end up doing with your weekend? I can’t plan anything outside either, but it’s because it’s TOO HOT. So instead, perhaps a movie, perhaps some other inside activities…

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    • J, thank you for asking. We were very productive. We installed a new light fixture over the kitchen table. We reconfigured the work surfaces & file cabinets in our home office so that it is much more comfortable. We put the finishing touches on an outside wooden bench & carried it down into The Spoon. And we watched lots of Harry Potter movies. [Ok that one might not of been productive, but was lots of fun.]

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  15. Sorry your plans did not work out. Like the rules. The D word has been floating through my brain lately. My Dad said it all the time in the presence of us kids. He said the other one in his workshop when he thought we weren’t within hearing distance.

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    • Susan, how funny that you’ve been thinking about that word lately. Must be our cosmic, almost-family connection at work!

      My mother said dagnabbit, but my dad was always more direct– regardless of who was within earshot.

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