good manners
Through The Eyes Of A Child
As Laura set off on a short walk down her street and around the cul-de-sac, her thoughts centred on the pain in her joints, namely her knees and lower back. Like taking a bitter pill, she reminded herself that while unpleasant, engaging in this gentle exercise was supposed to help. She wasn’t prepared to pay the fees to join a gym, as her doctor recommended, nor was she inclined to believe she’d be committed to driving to the gym everyday so she could walk on a treadmill.
Making the return trip up the other side of her street, she mentally pictured the contents of her refrigerator and began planning supper for her family. Tacos were a family favourite, and easy to put together quickly. She also needed to remember to pay the utility bill and check online that the kids hadn’t gone over their monthly minutes on the cell phone plan. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and fought back the rising anxiety brought on by recalling last month’s 500 fiasco. No, that must never happen again. The kids needed phones so they could be contacted when they were out and about, but all the calling they were doing with their friends needed to be cut back. Oh yes, she also needed to pick up Roger’s dry cleaning so he’d have a clean shirt to wear to work tomorrow. Maybe she’d better go inside and make a list.
Nearly back at her house now, the sound of a school bus coming to a squealing stop interrupted her thoughts. The stop sign pulled away from the bus and the doors opened with a wheeze to let out the noisy school children.
“Hi, Mom!”
“Caroline, is that what you wore to school today?”
Her daughter sported sweat pants, flip flops, and a t-shirt tied in the back with a hair band into a little t-shirt ponytail. What on earth had she been doing this morning when her children left for school, she wondered? Oh yes, packing their lunches, checking they remembered their band instruments, fixing coffee for Roger, and cleaning up after her five year old
As Laura set off on a short walk down her street and around the cul-de-sac, her thoughts centred on the pain in her joints, namely her knees and lower back. Like taking a bitter pill, she reminded herself that while unpleasant, engaging in this gentle exercise was supposed to help. She wasn’t prepared to pay the fees to join a gym, as her doctor recommended, nor was she inclined to believe she’d be committed to driving to the gym everyday so she could walk on a treadmill.
Making the return trip up the other side of her street, she mentally pictured the contents of her refrigerator and began planning supper for her family. Tacos were a family favourite, and easy to put together quickly. She also needed to remember to pay the utility bill and check online that the kids hadn’t gone over their monthly minutes on the cell phone plan. She squeezed the bridge of her nose and fought back the rising anxiety brought on by recalling last month’s 500 fiasco. No, that must never happen again. The kids needed phones so they could be contacted when they were out and about, but all the calling they were doing with their friends needed to be cut back. Oh yes, she also needed to pick up Roger’s dry cleaning so he’d have a clean shirt to wear to work tomorrow. Maybe she’d better go inside and make a list.
Nearly back at her house now, the sound of a school bus coming to a squealing stop interrupted her thoughts. The stop sign pulled away from the bus and the doors opened with a wheeze to let out the noisy school children.
“Hi, Mom!”
“Caroline, is that what you wore to school today?”
Her daughter sported sweat pants, flip flops, and a t-shirt tied in the back with a hair band into a little t-shirt ponytail. What on earth had she been doing this morning when her children left for school, she wondered? Oh yes, packing their lunches, checking they remembered their band instruments, fixing coffee for Roger, and cleaning up after her five year old