Empty Glass, Greener Grass
My proverbial glass is always empty. Not half empty, but like, almost totally empty. And the grass—always greener elsewhere! When I lived in New York, this was just fact. A child needs grass beneath her feet! She needs nature! Now that we live in an exquisite western town amid nature's bounty, I can no longer complain.
Wait, actually I can.
But a professional recently advised me to think positive thoughts. To learn to think of good things. Okay. Let's try it. Here goes. Thinking positive:
1. In Wyoming trash never smells because it's frozen 9 months of the year. And you can leave your ice cream in the car all day.
Too cold to drive to Smith's. I miss FreshDirect. Groceries right to your door in that nice truck. Oh heck, it's garbage day tomorrow. Got to get up at dawn's freezing crack. Can't leave trash on the street all night or BEARS WILL COME, they tell me. Uncivilized, crappy ice-hole.
2. Here, we have nature. Witness the beauty of the canyon, the aspen, the kestrel on wing!
Here, we have KIDS NAMED Nature, Canyon, Aspen, Kestrel! I'm not lying. What's up with these rural-peeps, man? Seriously, NATURE?!
3. Goodbye gray skies of NYC winter. Every day is sunny here.
Yeah, but I have to drive Crabtot in the car. "Mom, the sun is biting me!!!" (Genetically predisposed to negativity, Crabtot claws at her eyes as if the sun is bleach... Stupid First Years sun-shade. Why's it so small? Sun gets in from the sides...Gotta write and complain.)
Okay, I give up, 'cos my inner voice won't shut up. Unfortunately I can't blame that on where I live. Ruralmommy, urbanmommy, I always want to be the other mommy. So I remain the Crabmommy.
Crabilicious! If you think you've got it bad, try su-bore-bia, where I languish. Miracle miles, Wal-marts, Chuck-E-Cheese, chubby women spilling out of Chico's finest, chubby spawn chowing down their Happy Meals. It's the height of the cult of mediocrity. On the plus side: we still have time to move before my 4-year-old becomes a hardcore mall rat.
Looks like *every* mommy wants to be the other mommy, somewhere else.
IMHO, location-challenged moms everywhere would do well to remember the immortal words of Buckaroo Banzai: "No matter where you go, there you are."
love your post.