|
my sister hope Today my niece celebrated her third birthday and fifteen of her relatives were there to help her. The theme was Blue's Clues, but I opted for the ideal gift of money. Some people might see this as an easy way out, but I thought it best if I let my sister decide what she needs. Besides the rest of the crowd certainly gave her enough toys. I arrived early in the morning before anyone else did and this meant that I had the pool all to myself. There wasn't any splashing and I didn't have to keep an eye open for a stray arm or leg flailing in the water. The entire pool was mine and I could float around in peace. Driving with the windows of a car down might be one good thing about summer, but swimming is even better. It felt good to be doing something physical again, since I have yet to start riding my bike on a regular basis. Without a doubt it gave me some much needed exercise to help me get some tone back in my body. I might be approaching thirty, but that doesn't mean that I have to start working on a gut. So many people seem to let their body go after they reach a certain age, but that isn't a goal of mine. I'm not saying that I want to be a gymnast when I am sixty, but so many people don't even try to stay fit. Their metabolism slows down, but they don't seem to care. They just keep on eating the same and let whatever happens happen. As much as I like my niece, the highlight of the day was getting to talk with my sister Hope. Of my three siblings, she is the one that I know the best. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am the oldest and she is the youngest that brings us together. Despite the ten year gap in our ages, I always like talking with her. It was the first time that I had seen her since Christmas and there are some subtle changes about her. Oh, we've exchanged email since then, so I had some idea of what was happening in her life, but seeing her in person completes the image. The words on the screen become real. I'll only get to see her two more times this year, so I was glad that we could talk before eveyone else arrived. The next time that she'll be home is in July when she graduates and then it won't be until Christmas when I can see her again. I give her a lot of credit. When I was nineteen, my life was far more conservative. I went to a state college that was a two and a half hour drive away, while she is a part of the National Guard in Texas. Her level of culture shock far outweighs anything that I might have experienced at that age.
|