Random or too much coffee?

HA!  I just read this statement by Martin Luther (not King) and laughed out loud:  “Think of all the squabbles Adam and Eve must have had in the course of their nine hundred years.  Eve would say, “You ate the apple,” and Adam would retort, “You gave it to me.”

I am continuing on in my thoughts in regard to relationships.  One of my kids just got married this past June and my husband and I are in the throes of planning the other’s wedding next May; I obviously have a vested interest in wanting both kids to realize that marriage is not the stuff of fairy tales.  Now don’t go ballistic in your thoughts thinking I’m unromantic, but do know that I am very much a realist. 

Life at best is about balance; some days you give more and other days you receive.  Which brings to mind another “saying” I saw posted on a face book page, which I then copied to my own……  “Sometimes we expect more from others because we would be willing to do that much for them.”  Hmmmmm.  The operative word in there is “expect,” and that’s where we start skating on thin ice.  What are our expectations of another person, especially our spouses?”

My expectations would probably be that whoever the person I might be in a relationship with, not be hurtful to me.  However, there is a sliding scale associated with not being hurtful.  Some people kiddingly make a comment, which they think is innocent, but the person on the receiving end takes in a completely different manner than how it was initially expressed.  As we seek approval from one another, we ask questions we’d like answered, but only if they are going to make us feel good.  Case in point, a woman asking her husband if her jeans make her butt look big.  Really?  Who would ask that question – men hate it, because it is a lose/lose proposition, which basically begs for a lie.  If you really want to know the truth, ask your children; but be prepared for the answer you don’t want to hear!

Speaking of this…..do you know the show “What not to wear?”  I think my daughter wants to sign me up for this.  I was talking with a friend this morning, and over our tenth cup of coffee we were commiserating about fashions as we age.  I’m prone to wanting to wear comfortable – think warm-ups, and having been a PE teacher, it is difficult to want to get away from this.  My next choice would be scrubs and I guess I deteriorate from there.  Mind you, I’m not yet into muu-muus or shapeless sweats.  That said, the fashions today, some of which I think are really cute, are for those whose figures haven’t done the muffin top dance.  And mind you all…..I exercise my butt off, running 3-4 times a week and I watch what I eat, especially as it goes onto my fork and into my mouth!  And it isn’t that much or that bad in case you wanted to know.  Anyway, I can’t think of the host(s) names, but there needs to be those same types of image consultants (not on TV) around here, it would be helpful if they weren’t affiliated with a particular high end store, because then the prices get beyond what the average person (like me) can afford.  The way I shop…..if it is on a mannequin in the store, then as long as it is in my “color scheme” I get it.  Otherwise, I wind up buying what the model wears in the magazine, which doesn’t look as good in a size (no I’m not telling) as it does on the size 0 model in the spread.

How the heck did I get from relationships to middle age body shapes? 

But these are the questions that really do plague the minds of people, especially women in our age group, and they are the things that cause squabbles between us (Eves) and our Adams.

As I close, my mind flitted to this thought.  I am heading out to go see the movie “Courageous” and that is precisely the mindset we should all be in as we face each day and each other.  We need to get a grip on ourselves and stop with the never ending quest for perfection and instead start living lives that move beyond our limited scopes.  A lot of what I write is tongue in cheek, but based in reality.  We need to lighten up and look for peace rather problems.  

Two of the best lessons I learned in life was first to trust God and then to learn to laugh at myself.  I can trust that God is perfect and I am not and don’t have to be and everything else will fall into place however it is meant to.  My worrying about it will not change the outcome.  I try (and am not always successful) to keep this in mind in my relationships!  Can you imagine 900 years in a relationship?  Yikes!!

Looking up!

Barb