Wow

Today, we went to a birthday party in celebration of the fifth birthday of my husband’s cousin’s twins. I had anticipated only being able to stay a short while, then needing to go home. So, we drove separately over there the twenty-ish blocks.

However, I was almost immediately overwhelmed and wondered if I even would make it half an hour. As the adults all showed up, they were loud. Two of them walked in with plastic cups, their drinks for the road… they live not even 20 minutes away, if that. (Yes, “alcoholics” is the term that came to mind. It wasn’t angrily thought. Just observationally so.) Anyway, they were too loud for me immediately. I was cringing and flinching quite strongly at almost all moments.

So, I went and got my earplugs from the car. I don’t really like wearing them, but they make a huge difference when I need them. For this situation, it seemed likely I could have them only partway in, so it wouldn’t make a seal in my ears and give me that ‘trapped in a bubble’/’underwater’ feeling. Whatever the case, I needed to give them a try, or else I had to leave immediately.

Fortunately, having them mostly in but not sealed worked quite well. There were times I did have to push them in fully, but it never lasted more than a few minutes before I was able to loosen them again.

At one point, as I was happily and, almost even, energetically conversing with someone, my husband asked across the room quietly, ‘How are you still here?’ I told him that I didn’t know, and we chuckled. I felt okay. Not great. But well enough to be hanging out still. And it was after 9pm at this point. We were baffled, to be sure. It was just the perfect alignment of events and balance for me to be able to rest away and be involved in turns.

And I ended up having multiple really great conversations with folks. There were a few shallow and slightly annoying chats – because of the shallowness of them – but I mostly had a really enjoyable time talking with and sharing with others. Including the person who had not previously left any positive impression on me in any interactions. (Granted, she had a baby seven weeks ago, and I know that can change people a lot for the better. Perhaps that played a role. Perhaps the lack of alcohol in her system also made a huge difference. Whatever the case, I am grateful and we had a good time talking both times we two talked.)

I also got to have some good bonding with newer people for me. That was possibly the best part of it all. No, all the good conversations combined were what made it all so good of a time.

We finally left after 11pm. We had been there since before five PM. The kids had long since gone to bed. We adults were well past our times of needing to go to bed. But we were having a great time. It was awesome.

Key moment: The older brother of the birthday boys – he is six – comes running up to me, excitedly slightly out of breath. He declares with delight, “This is the BEST party!” Oh, yeah? “P—-[my husband] is swinging the ball around,” (it is a huge 30″ inflatable, bubble-like balloon ball), “And he’s hitting us in the face with it. And we’re laughing so hard… We’re dying! From the laughing(!)… It’s Awesome!!!” It was true. I had seen just this happening through the French doors – they were inside and I was outside on the sofa, lounging next to the outdoor AC unit. He really was swinging this thing around and smashing it into their faces. It didn’t hurt them at all, since it was like a rubber version of Saran Wrap, and mostly just stretched and molded when it smashed into things. But I had not expected one of them to run out to tell me how getting hit in the face with this thing made for the best party. Haha. It was just wonderful.

Thank you, God, for this lovely day. Thank you for the food I was able to eat and drink I was able to drink. Help me and the baby to be well. Keep my husband safe, please. Help us all to sleep we tonight, please. In your name, I pray. Amen.

Post-a-day 2024