The weekend brought much rain – sleet and snow even – to our area. The cold temps and pounding rain fostered a stay-at-home day for our little clan. I would call that a bonus day! A bonus day is when you suddenly have no plans. Unexpected free time. Blissful when it presents itself and you need the time to decompress or get caught up. Dangerous when your heart is troubled and your energy is low. The big difference for us this past Saturday is that house things got done that needed to get done. Bookcases and shelves were hung. A bedroom was rearranged. Small fry is so proud of his new digs! It’s such a big boy room now! He is desperate to get the rocker and ottoman out of his space. We still snuggle in it every night, so I am not in such a hurry to remove it.

Particularly different about the pace this weekend is how we spouses got along. Mostly easily. One of the ongoing conflicts in our home is how time is spent and how each person feels about that. It doesn’t really matter who is doing what – or who is doing nothing. The difficult interpersonal exchanges seem to surround about expectation and delivery.  More on that later, but not today!

Me plus drill equals numerous, large holes in the wall. Spouse plus drill equals shelves, bookcases, and other wood items involving brackets, anchors, and studs finally hanging in their intended places. Seeing these orphaned purchases move from shipping cartons on kitchen floor to the walls where they will stay for some time is gratifying. And it makes me feel loved in the way that I want to be loved. Which is really experiencing another person invest time into my priorities. Why is it so hard to get this gift – eleven plus years in – when it used to pour like rain?