This week was a rare one for us – Theo was in town for 5 days out of 7. After trips out of state and out of the country (with a brief visit squeezed in between trips to places far away to see me on Halloween, my own personal high holy day,) Theo settled in long enough to stop startling our two new cats every time they came upon an extra set of legs in the bed. On her first day back, she looked at me with a sly smile and asked to go to the Apple Store nearby. She’s been watching me go moony over the idea of an iPad for school for as long as we’ve been together, and she’s wanted to get one for me, but I’ve always discouraged her. (Not all rock stars are millionaires, and I knew that she had a thousand other ways that money could be better spent.) But I stared into her eyes right then and she grinned into mine, and we briefly fought a silent battle of wills, until I finally gave in.
From watching tv and reading books, I can only imagine that I’m very different from most folks in this one regard (ok, it’s not just one, but humor me here): I really get uncomfortable with expensive gifts. It’s not like I’ve had that many in my life, but I still wrap myself up in worry that I don’t deserve it and they can’t afford it or shouldn’t spend it or…Yeah, it’s a mess. But I saw the look in her eyes, and thought through all the times she’d offered and all the ways I *could* use it in class…and agreed to go and thanked her. Her grin spread all the way across her face, and we bundled the weasels into the car and drove there. And, as she was paying for it, and we were talking over all the ways I could use it and I saw the way she was smiling, I felt a wave of giddy excitement wash over me.
I know – it’s just a thing. An object. A very shiny, capable object. And I am a very strong, capable person. And still, when the associate asked what color she wanted, and she looked over and asked me what color I wanted…yeah, ok, a wash of feeling utterly taken care of and loved poured over me. It might sound odd, but, for me, it’s no big deal to take care of myself. For me, the challenge is letting someone else carry the weight a little, but the payoff was worth it. She gave me a wonderful gift, one I will treasure and use for a long time (yes, we got the optional insurance package designed for houses with weasels and their clumsy parents.) I received a wonderful gift that I will use a lot. I thanked her, over and over, with many kisses and words, feeling very humbly grateful for the gift and the gentle opportunity to be open to it. The weasels’ eyes grew large as they realized what was happening and that our relationship had progressed to this level, measured in a currency they understood.
Amongst all the other moments we shared this week was another favorite. Theo was away most of Tuesday, but drove back to us just in time to hear President Obama’s acceptance speech on Tuesday night. The weasels were sitting with us on the couch, exhausted from the disco dance party (complete with lights) that had broken out right after the major networks called the election around 8:30. We all sat together, arms and legs wrapped up close and sweet, and listened to a man who had grown into a champion in his first four years, and who promised to continue in his next. Theo and I were crying and laughing, especially when he mentioned all of us falling in love with his wife. He’s right, we have. We watched and laughed and finally tore ourselves away from the television to go to bed on a new day. A hopeful day. A day of love.
There are a lot of days that love’s all we’ve got. Let me never forget what a gift it can be.
