Now there’s a word. Discombobulated. It’s jumble of letters and sounds beautifully mimics it’s meaning.
discombobulate |ˌdiskəmˈbäbyəˌlāt| verb [ with obj. ] humorous disconcert or confuse (someone): this attitude totally discombobulated Bruce | (as adj. discombobulated) : he is looking a little pained and discombobulated. DERIVATIVES discombobulation noun ORIGIN mid 19th cent.: probably based on discompose or discomfit.
I am so discombobulated right now–I don’t know whether I’m coming or going. I have emotional highs and lows with a graduating 5th grader. I have scheduling wackiness. Routines are changing. Extra stuff is being layered on top of the typical. Other stuff is over and I get a bit confused. Not unusual for me to stand in the middle of a room right now, squeeze my head and wonder where I should be and who I should be taking with me. I agree to things I have to later back out of and I decline things I could have accepted. I am a hot mess. Every day I have to make a list of things to do. Sometimes I head out without the list. That’s always entertaining. What keeps me in the game? I bow down to the folks responsible for my calendar app that allows me to bleep myself with reminders of where I should be and when. That app is the only reason I’m not laying on the floor in the fetal position.
I’d like to add a disclaimer about my spazziness. This level of discombobulation is not actually a big deal for people who are Type Freaking A. My mayhem is barely pulse-raising for them. But for type PPDD (procrastinators who are painfully disorganized and dreamy) this kind of stuff stretches us to our limits.
And then there’s the writing. I’ve got not one, but two projects, that I’m hot on the tail of. Left to my own devices, I could spend a full eight hours curled up with each of them. Right now I find myself working furiously in my head while I try to organize piles of boy shoes, stay stocked with enough food to feed the little buggers, get the car serviced, remember to water my plants (epic fail) and dodge falling aluminum as the guys put new gutters on the house. Someday I will hang that hummingbird feeder I bought in the spring. They’ll still be here in November, right? *head thunk*
Discombobulated. Seriously.
And then there are the nightmares. Some people have really legit, cool nightmares. Not me. Last night I dreamt that even though I ordered the graduation cake and paid for it–I forgot to pick it up. The party was going off without a hitch and BAM! No cake. And some of you might be thinking–not the end of the world–but obviously you’ve never met my mother. She’s normally a pretty fabulous gal, but she can turn into Mean Jean the Cake Machine. I kid you not. This woman has bakery issues. So, there was that, but that was not my first grad party nightmare. I know I should sweat the small stuff. But it’s my unconscious mind. It never listens.
So, at least for the time being (by time being–I mean at least until my 9yo graduates from college) I’m going to be a bit discombobulated. I’ll try to get use to it, but you know how us Type PPDD’s are. I’d rather spend my time dreaming of the personal assistant/house elf that would save me from myself.
I think I’ll name him Bob.
Anybody else discombobulated? Any other Type PPDD’s out there? Don’t leave me blowing in the wind alone. LOL! If you’re Type A–feel free to rub it in, but know you’ll never qualify for House Elf assistance–karma is a *bleep*
Yesterday I had the pleasure of returning to my boy’s old elementary school. The one from before we moved. We returned for HUGS Day, which is an epic field day and party. A celebration. It’s a great day to be a FES Frog. But for the Sabatini’s it was a little bit like the ups and downs in one of those bouncy houses. We were so excited to see all our friends again, but at times, no matter how much fun we were having, it was a little bitter sweet. We were forced to look at what we’d been missing–what we are still missing until school comes to an end next week. The boys and I discussed it afterwards and came to the conclusion that being there had far outweighed the small hurts that left little bruises we’d have to recover from later.
Here were some of the big bounces that made the day great…
Yeah–HUGS day is a bouncy house bonanza!
Good friends fall right back into place.
Sharing the experiences of a new school with the old school.
Visiting familiar friends of a different nature.
Reengaging partners in crime <3
Eating too much.
And singing and dancing–a HAPPY teacher flash mob.
But life is strange and somewhere in the middle of snacks, flash mobs and catching up with friends, I overheard conversations that caused me to step back. Everyone was talking about the up and coming 5th Grade Moving Up Ceremony (which we are happily participating in) and the last day of school. Everyone was discussing all the expected tears–how hard and sad it was all going to be. Huh? My mind spun a little trying to connect the dots. Then understanding hit me like a lightening bolt as I realized what I had been missing.
We were no longer standing in the same place our friends were.
We had already grieved the loss of things the way they were. We had had to say goodbye and it had been hard–really, really hard. For us, school being over will be a kind of relief, an end of a particularly rough and knotted branch of our lives. Everyone else at FES is now poised to be standing on the very thin line between the past and the future, with all the emotional and actual baggage that comes with it. And while we might be physically standing next to everyone on that thin line, it isn’t the same. We are like a group of friends who has opted for different paths through the woods. We will arrive at the same destination–but now we have very different stories to tell about our journey to get there.
But sometimes there are advantages to hearing someone else tell the tale of their journey. This week in particular, as we meet back up to celebrate moving up, I’d like to share what we learned on the road less traveled to an FES graduation.
We’ll all be okay. We’ve got this, because we have each other.
Often in the hustle and bustle of our growth–our forward momentum–we forget about our roots. Our eyes gravitate to the part of the tree that is easy to see. We forget about the strength and beauty of the roots–the parts that have nurtured us and held us in place while we’ve grown. The part that is hidden. FES has given us everything we need to anchor us to the best parts of ourselves and each other. I know this because when my boys had their lives painfully pruned back, they continued to be resilient, to grow and thrive. They are firmly woven with their past, their mentors and their friends, which has allowed them to remain standing, no matter how hard the wind has blown.
Over the next week, the 5th graders at FES will begin the process of branching out–of growing up. They will often take different paths as they grow. But we are very lucky because these kids are all trees in the same beautiful wood and it is my suspicion that beneath it all–their roots are entangled–adding more strength and support for the years to come. It has been my family’s pleasure to be a part of the FES family. Once a frog always a frog. And that is the truth. But being one thing doest limit you from being more things. Love is not limits–it is opportunity. So I’d also like to take a moment to thank everyone at our new school. I’m so very lucky because they grow strong and sturdy trees with beautiful roots there, too. They mended and supported us when we were a little broken. They cared for us like we had always been there–instead of what we really were–shell-shocked transplants. And now, because we haven’t moved too far, we have roots in two wonderful places. All that is left to do is entangle them even further. Be prepared to make new friends…
Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.
I’ve learned to pay attention to the small print of my life. Right now I need to be focused on writing that is character driven. I’m currently surround by daily reminders that this should be the focus in my writing. Where am I getting all these messages and motivation? It’s everywhere…
*I just finished DREAMS OF GODS AND MONSTERS by Laini Taylor. Oh, the characters–they haunt me.
*Major Crimes is back! This show is ALWAYS about the characters and their arcs.
*The World Cup is kicking! And even though the focus is soccer, it’s the players who leave it all out on the field that capture our hearts and our attention.
*Graduations–they are everywhere. Thousands and thousands of amazing stories of triumph. I’ve watched my own 11yo get acquainted with his own character to make it to this milestone this year.
*SYTYCD where my favorite dancers step, leap and stretch into different characters to tell a story.
As the summer gets ready to kick into high gear–don’t forget to let character take you for a drive.
I had to decide whether I was going to write a blog post or watch SYTYCD?
You know my weakness.
New revelations coming soon. But in the mean time, take a moment to remember what it feels like to be the newbie–the aspiring. Whether you’re a dancer or a writer–SYTYCD or SCBWI– being generous is fabulous for everyone. <3
Yay! It’s almost here. Saturday is the Millbrook Literary Festival. Here’s a little bit about what will be going on right off their website…
Set your calendars: the 6th annual Millbrook Literary Festival will be held on June 21, 2014.
This year’s festival will present over 70 timely, thought-provoking, and thoroughly entertaining authors and illustrators to participate in panel discussions, readings, and signings throughout the day at the Millbrook Free Library on Franklin Street. The schedule of events and lineup of authors can be found at the links to the left.
People can start the day early at the Farmer’s Market beginning at 9:00 until 1:00. Lunchtime can be enjoyed at one of Millbrook’s many eateries for a deli sandwich, slice of pizza, French cuisine, classic American fare, or other culinary delight. Before leaving the festival, visitors are encouraged to shop in Millbrook’s eclectic stores where treasures abound.
Across the globe, literary festivals have been gaining popularity, increasing literacy, and celebrating books. There are more than 150 festivals in the United Kingdom supporting tourism and literacy while presenting people with direct access to writers, illustrators, editors, and publishers. Here in the United States, literary festivals are growing in numbers annually, and historic Millbrook joins the global and national movements with enthusiasm to make books and reading an important part of our lives.
Want to know who’s going to be there giving presentations and signing books? Click HERE to get the full list of authors and the schedule. Hope I get to see you there. <3
What’s the best literary festival you’ve had the pleasure of attending?
