Monday, August 22, 2011

keep calm, and carry on.

This weekend as I was digging out a huge sliver from a squirming, crying, bleeding, 4 year old foot, I was paid the nicest compliment.

"You should be a nurse, you handled that so calmly"

Words laid on me by my friend Terra.

Than a day later, after a lovely weekend at sunriver with friends, the opportunity to keep calm and carry on presented itself again.

We stopped on the way home at my absolute favorite place on earth, Big Lake. We planned on making a quick stop, waving Hi to the mountain, maybe hiking to where my dads ashes are laid, and to take a quick swim in the lake, this was to be a quick little detour, slightly out of our way home, but a must for me. B and Max went to the car to grab some things, while me and Ollie stripped down to our suits and started blowing up an air mattress. As I sat on the rocks, admiring the gorgeous view, my feet being cooled by the water, and the calm coming over me, B came marching down the hill, carrying a crying Max, and not looking happy. B had handed the car keys to Max to hold while he got the stuff out of the car. Than he locked all the doors, than he shut the back of the car. Than he asked Max for the keys. Max had put the keys in the car.... oops...

Can you blame a 4 year old. Not really.

B was pissed, and not calm at all.

I sat on the rock, took a deep breath and kept filling up the air mattress.

What do you do, at 3:30 pm, on a Sunday, 15 miles from the nearest town, and locked out of your car. No food, No suitable clothing, and No spare key.

Keep Calm and Carry on.

B is not the best person when it comes to keeping calm. While he had his mild breakdown, I took over called our insurance company and had a locksmith on the way, to be there hopefully within the hour.

Than I went swimming. I enjoyed my afternoon, I swam with my kids, I stressed a little as the sun started to set, and we still were not back into our car.

B calmed down, and as a lesson to both of us, we discussed what anger does in a stressful situation. It does nothing, it accomplishes nothing. It helps no one.

We talked about it, we apologized to each other... we got calm and carried on.

On our, later than we intended, drive home, we talked about rafting. B told me he had only gone rafting once, and all he remembered from the experience was that he accidentally hit is dad with the oar while rowing, his dad got angry with him, and the rest of the trip all he wanted was for it to be done. Out of the whole trip, that is what B remembered.
Anger, accomplishes nothing, helps no one.

We stopped at 9pm for a late night dinner in Salem. B took Max to the restroom, they took forever, he came back and told me how he and max had talked about how mad daddy had gotten about the keys, how it was not maxes fault, and daddy had not been mad at him, how he was sorry he had lost his temper.

The sign of a great man is one that keeps learning from himself, and can admit when he is in the wrong, even if he thinks he has it all figured out. B is an amazing dad, and I am so glad he is my husband.