I love tangents. Those meandering conversations with good friends where you find yourself in places you never intended. Places of beauty, wonder, humor and compassion. So often I feel like I live by lists and calendars - the alloting of my time to the completion of tasks and obligations. So much of my life seems organized around my family, friends, professional endeavors, social groups, household duties. I get great pleasure from these things, and I love the people who I do them with. So much so that I like seeing my calendar pages scribbled over in pencil with things to do and people to see. So much so that I have to keep myself from picking up the phone to invite a friend over when a day, or even an afternoon, stares at me blankly from the page.
Yet, so much of our conversations seem to be about our lists - the children's activities, things to prepare for the holidays, upcoming events, our household projects. My cousin was over the other night for dinner and as she was about to leave I commented to her that I think that most of our conversations seem to be about what we are going to do at another time. Have I become like J. Alfred Prufock measuring out my life with coffee spoons? I don't want to look back at this time of my life and feel like I have missed the greatness of it by focusing on the details of it.
And so, I am going to start this blog. To give myself a place to revel in tangents. To record the amazingly touching/wise/funny/stupid/endearing things my kids say that make them so precious at this stage of their lives. To remember (and figure out) who I am at this point in my life. To start those conversations that wait timidly in the back of my mind. To remember what it feels like to write for pleasure rather than accomplishment.
