Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

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Today was my day to take the Christmas tree down. It was the priority after “Drink First Cup of Coffee.” Somehow how though, it kept getting deferred as the morning and day went on.

A friend of the family visited last night, bringing Iz not one but two craft kits. I know I sound like an arts and crafts Grinch, but I dislike craft kits immensely. I don’t dislike the art or craft part. I just can’t stand their teeny tiny components that linger in the carpet, all over the furniture, and in the animals' fur coats long after said craft project had been completed.

Iz received fairy box and purse projects. After I took my first sip of coffee this morning, Iz waved the fairy box kit in front of my face and asked, “Mom, can you help me do this?” I answered, “Sure,” and we sat down on the couch and began to stick teeny tiny mosaic tiles and jewels onto her box.

After two hours, we had only two panels done. Well, we were watching TV and being crafty, so there was bound to be a lower productivity rate than if we were at the kitchen table. I finally said, “I need a break.” She agreed.

After a 15 minute break that included a second cup of coffee, she held up the purse kit and asked, “Mom, can you help me do this?” I sighed. It was as if looking at the fairy kit had been like staring directly at the sun; at that point, it seemed that whenever I looked anywhere, all I could see were bright little mosaic tiles and pink and purple jewels sparkling brightly.

I answered, “Sure,” thinking that these craft kits would surely be the reason why our Christmas tree would still be up when Arbor Day rolled around this year. (Instead of planting a new tree, I’d be throwing one out in the back yard, which would truly look bad in the Arbor Day scheme of things.) Again, we sat on the couch, pulled out patches, and began to put them on the purse.

When 1pm rolled around, I knew I had to make the beds, put away laundry that had piled up, make an attempt to go run at the gym, and take the Christmas tree down. I told Iz again that I needed a break. She agreed I could go do a few things, but I had to return later to help her resume fairy box and purse construction.

By the time 2pm came, I had made the beds, put the laundry away, and cleaned up the kitchen. Iz asked me, “Mommy, can we work on the fairy box again?” I told her that I’d help her after I got home from the gym, though I wondered where I would find time for the construction of the fairy box and the destruction of the Christmas tree.

Upon arrival home from the gym, I was greeted by Iz, holding the fairy box in her hands. She asked, “Mommy, ready to work on the box now?” I looked at the box, looked at her face, and then I turned my head to the right and glanced at the still totally adorned Christmas tree in the living room. I said, “Yep. Let’s work on the box again!”

Today, I realized that one of the things I liked most about being unemployed was the tomorrows in a way that I had never experienced them before. If I had a job, the tree would have definitely come down today, knowing that Monday through Friday I’d be working; that is, I lived my life thinking, “I must do it today, because there is no tomorrow.”

As Iz trotted off with her box, I realized that if the tree didn’t get taken down today, I could do it tomorrow. And, if I didn’t get to it on Monday, I could do it on Tuesday, and so on. When I was working, the tree would have gotten today or at least the afternoon, and Iz and the craft kids would would have probably ended up as tomorrow.

Today, there was a whole week of tomorrows just waiting for me to take the Christmas tree down on any one of them. Just then, I realized how glad I was to have these tomorrows, because it was indeed the perfect day to work on the fairy and purse kits, even if it did take all of today. And, going forward, I'm going to make sure that it is always about today, because there is always tomorrow, even if it is Arbor Day. ♥

Yin (Liam) and Yang (Plume) in My Feline Community Note: