The Etcetera of it All...

I have always appreciated the John Lennon quote, "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." A tiny, seemingly insignificant quote that has all of the gravity of the planet in its twelve words, as far as I'm concerned. However, I never knew about the part that came before it, from his sweet sweet song, "Beautiful Boy":
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful boy,
Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,
Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While you're busy making other plans...
So, that kind of shit makes Jen cry.
The babies are two, but they're already twenty-two in my mind. They're 42. They're 70... John Lennon didn't have the luck to see his boy on that boat. I will be blessed if I can see my son and daugter sail off into the sunset. (Scratch that: Lila will insist on a jet ski.)
I have been thinking a lot about time. What passes as a great memory or event (a fun-filled vacation, an extended holiday, etc.) is starting to turn into something different for me...
Now, it's Lila leaning over my shoulder, looking me in the eyes while patting my back, asking me if I'm OK when I stub my toe on the hilariously underused "stair machine" in the corner of the bedroom and running to get me a Band-aid.
It's AJ screaming "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!" directly into my ear drum and, when I tell him to say it gently, saying: "I LOVE YOU SO MUCH GENTLY!"
It's getting a text at the worst part of a shitty-ass day from Eileen that simply says "love". (How does she know? She's in New Jersey! But she always seems to know when I need a lift.)
I'm planning this year's vacation (steering clear of Seaside Heights, NJ, for fear The Situation will hit on my daughter), and I'm going for simple. It's not so much where we go, but that we'll be together, stubbing toes and screaming I love you.
[Today I worked on an ad, did some marketing for my real estate group, researched vacation rentals, planned the groceries for the week, figured out when we'll be visiting family and friends, etcetera, etcetera*.]

*wink-wink: That was the important part!

Comments

Heidi said…
no you dih-ent...the situation hitting on lila had me in stitches!!! I AODRE THIS BLOG!!!! i keep sending people over telling them how amazing you are at writing. they all agree. seriously, it's my must read, maybe you can keep these coming by the time i have my first cup of of coffee each morning.

loveloveloveit!
Heidi said…
Mickey Avalon...NO U DIH-ENT AGAIN!!!!!! holy shit. are you the only other one of my friends who loves this song!!!!!

you jenn are...

so rich, so pretty. yup...my fave!!!! i said it. no, i have never done coke but the song rocks. LOL

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