Simple Pleasures

The events of last year and then some has brought about a tremendous amount of chaos to my family's life. The offspring and I were definitely feeling a bit like Orestes on the run from the Furies much of the time. However, the destructive forces that have plagued my life as of late are beginning to give way. The paradigm is shifting, so to speak. What was before, ceases to exist. What is now is being cobbled together from a combination of old friends who've stood by the two us through thick and thin, new friends who are beginning to weave themselves into the fabric of our newly constructed daily lives, a few wayward friends who have reemerged during the shift, a new residence, new job responsibilities and an acute sense that we have much adventure to experience ahead.

Yesterday evening, in fact, brought a bit of said adventure to the table. Literally. My daughter's boyfriend, who has become a daily feature in our lives, sat down next to me at the dining room table while I was fiddling around with yarn and hook and asked me to teach him to crochet so that he could make his own beanies (the kid wears one EVERY day). The offspring followed her man into the room, project bag in tow, ready for the show. Dealing with a design detail at that very moment, I handed the boyfriend, Eric, a hook and some yarn and asked LenaLinoleum to get him started. Yeah, pretty much that effort ended with the offspring telling the boyfriend that we was slow (although she used a different term), while he exclaimed her to be a terrible teacher. Fortunately, my design conundrum solved, I was able to step right in and salvage the situation. Eric was crocheting like a pro within a half hour and I believe he'll be ready to tackle a beanie pattern tonight.

A year ago, I would never have pictured myself sitting contently in my own home, happily hanging out with my family. My household had become such an unhappy place for such a long period of time that I forgot what it felt like to experience such a simple pleasure. So wonderful to sit around the table with the teens yesterday, all three of us crocheting, talking and laughing. Change is good.

Here's a pic of my fave teen couple...