Saturday, December 1, 2018

MY PLAN FOR FAMILY FUNFESTS AS THE FUTURE UNFOLDS

While enjoying time spent with expanding family
I plan to take mental notes of emotional jumping beans, which
Though repressed or suppressed while we’re together
Will surely clamor for my time and attention once
My conscious awareness is no longer devoted to
Playing with this one or listening to that one while
The kitchen timer is ding-ding-dinging, signaling
Me that it’s time to take this out of the oven or
Place that into the oven while reminding myself to
Check to make certain that marshmallows atop
Sweet potato soufflé are not charing, before
Spinning round to turn down the burner under
The gravy while hearing Ravi say—
I want Gramma to pour my chocolate milk (because
After all, she’s accustomed to my undivided
Adoration during our play dates), and thus, upon
Reflection in the afterglow of several delicious days of
Non-stop togetherness, hindsight suggests why
My brain still feels like a bouncy house overloaded with
Bunches of jumping beans, though, truthfully, I’d reveled in
Partying with my precious family, day after day, in my home as
Has always been my pleasure with one change that
I’ve not made by choice—you see, during my prime
I’d felt exhaustion overwhelm me by Sunday; however
My depleted energy level would bounce back, over night, in time to
Awaken on Monday morning feeling spiritually replenished so
As to rouse the troops with a cheerful smile that had felt
Naturally refreshed by the awareness that our family fun-fest had
Been thoroughly enjoyed by one and all, and with those thoughts
Buoying my spirit, I'd call out that breakfast was ready followed by
Driving carpool to school after which I’d steer my nine passenger
Burgandy Buick Estate Wagon straight toward
The college, rarin’ to inspire a classroom filled with parents to
Share their success stories concerning Parent-Child Interaction or
Evolving Family Roles so as to encourage one another to continue to
Strive toward creating changes for the better in their homes; however
The whole of that scenario had taken place before
Our family of five had continued to expand to include thirteen
Highly diverse personalities of all ages while my advancement toward
Senior citizen status had been stealthily establishing itself, and
Though the realistic side of my brain has not shied away from
Openly admitting that during recent years my capacity for preparing
Holiday feasts while sailing through four-day family love-fests proves
Less smooth, more choppy for sound reason, the happily engaged
Side of my brain continues to sport the skipper’s hat (so as to keep
Family fun-fests shipshape), and as this hat has been
A good fit ever since Will and I chose to move from
The Midwest to the southwestern desert, 44 years back, and
As beloved family traditions, like habits, are hard to change
The well developed pleasure center of my brain resists removing
My ship shaping chapeau though, over recent years, it’s been feeling
Really snug, most especially when all of us are partying in
The jumpy house simultaneously (Well, almost all of us, because
This year, Tony and Ray were on the coast, celebrating with their
Dad).  So, since it’s become apparent that my captain’s hat seems
Determined to stay snugly in place on my head, here’s
The plan that the intuitive portion of my exhausted think tank
Conjured up, just now—in honor of the fact that, over
These many years, this particular hat on this specific head has
Served all of us, very well—I’ll not rip it off and toss it to
The winds, but instead, I’ll plant a tender seedling inside
The fertile, conscious portion of my brain, which
My intuitive powers will sprinkle with sunshine, love and
Lightly scattered showers of logic offering today’s
Insight-driven, reflective train of thought the gifts of time
And patience to grow ever so naturally toward such
Strength of purpose as to encourage repressed angst
Based in whatever is beyond my control to change) to make
Its transformative way through the frayed fabric of
The captain’s hat in similar fashion to the way that
Once upon a time, an accomplished author, who’d
Penned a classic story, titled A Tree Grows In Brooklyn
Offered posterity a positively focused page turner about
A seedling, which had ever so slowly but self assuredly
(And thus miraculously) emerged through a tiny crack in
The pavement so determined was it to grow to be
A mighty tree that has served as a symbol of the human spirit's
Inner strength, which proves capable of overcoming
Adversity, time and again, and though I have no clue as to what
This seedling, which my intuitive imagination has consciously
And determinedly planted inside my think tank, will grow to
Become, over time, I have no doubt that this most recent
Personal growth spurt will inspire my ready smile to replace
Repressed angst (concerning age-related exhaustion) as
My spirit seeks to gain the natural capacity to mindfully (and
Thus gracefully) pass the captain’s hat to the younger
Generation, which, being well prepped, will readily accept
The baton of skillful leadership, freeing their role model to
Embrace a newly enhanced sense of inner peace, based in
Whatever is sure to develop as my attitude continues to
Strive toward making changes for the better, which
Though not yet obvious to me, are bound to grow apparent as
My role in our family dynamics evolves away from conducting
Our harmonic symphony toward passing the baton, wrapped
In traditional family values, so graciously as to
Relax and enjoy the music, which, having been absorbed by
The orchestra, shall most assuredly continue to play, on and on—
Ohhmm ...
Oh!  One more thing—
Did I think to mention that a portion of my extended
Exhaustion proved to be the result of food poisoning?

No comments:

Post a Comment