Tiredness

My reaction to the booster was that I was wiped out… I slept for several hours, and struggled to wake up this morning.  That’s not bad overall, so I’m not complaining.  Jerry objected because his morning outing was delayed as I was unable to get up early enough for him.  I took Don to get his shot this afternoon, but unfortunately they were out of the Moderna (I’d selected Pfizer, not realizing that was significant ) so his has been delayed for almost 2 weeks.  We’re a little disappointed, but it’s not too bad.  The boys are now dozing on the sofa, both of them being tired out (and baseball is on… 😂)

I got a lovely surprise call this morning from a friend who had moved away on her retirement several years ago.  We lost touch, then reconnected, then lost touch again, and she called today.  It was so great to hear her voice and to know that she’s doing well.  I think you all know how much I appreciate my friends, whether or not I see them often.  Very few things make me happier than to know that the people I care about are healthy, happy and enjoying themselves, even if what they do is not something that I’d enjoy myself.  There are the odd moments of a little envy when I learn that people are travelling while I’m not able to, but I still like seeing their photos and hearing the stories.  But overall, I think that it’s wonderful to know that people are doing well.  Keep it up!

Have you ever considered that even those closest to you can still surprise you?  Isn’t it fun (mostly) that they can do that?  I’ve realized that we tend to take each other for granted after a while.  I have one friend who says, “I know you like the back of my hand,” just as they demonstrate that they don’t really know my likes and dislikes!  I’m always amused by that expression — just how well do you know the back of your hand?  Can you describe it while it’s encased in a glove?  That’s really an interesting comment, though, and it conveys very well the idea of something so familiar that you don’t really think about it, while simultaneously not really knowing it all that well.  People can be the same — we know them well, we’re comfortably sure of them, but every now and then they do something that surprises us.  Like this week, someone was surprised to learn that I was interested in science as a child, although they’d heard about my habit of reading the encyclopaedia for fun even in primary school and about my love of Chemistry.  We’d talked about all kinds of things, but somehow they’d overlooked that.  I’m certain that I’ve missed things about them too, and they’ll be able to laugh when I say, “I never knew that about you!”  I think that it’s great when you can do that, as it’s a sign that you’re still learning more about each other, even many years after you became friends.  It’s wonderful to know that we’re still growing and developing as time passes.

I know that I’ve been talking a lot about friends lately.  It’s true that they mean a great deal to me, and are sources of strength, knowledge and comfort, and it’s lovely to know that I can rely on them no matter how far they are or how often we talk.  Besides, expressing gratitude for my friends means that I’m not complaining about my difficulties or otherwise finding ways to be miserable, so I’ll choose to express gratitude more often.  It can be difficult sometimes, but it’s very true (although trite) that practice makes perfect, so the more often you can be grateful, the more there is to give thanks about.  On that note, I’m off to bed, leaving the boys “watching” baseball!  Good night!