Weekend Notes

Saturday – Long walk along the beach at Alki. Dinner with WS and LIH at Evan and Allen’s. Saturday evening the U.S. bombed Iraq neclear sites. I went to bed, refusing to mentally engage in a new war just before bedtime. My husband stayed up to take in the live news stream. 

Sunday – Walk around the Chinese Garden. Run along Alki. Hung out with Evan and Allen in the afternoon. Huff and baby H2 dropped by. Baby H2 is doing well. I think Huff enjoyed hanging out with Adults. 

Reflecting over the weekend... sometimes I become very aware of how different my husband’s tastes are from mine.

On Saturday, as we finished our walk, he turned to me—eyes lit up—and said, “Should we start a walking group? Or a bicycling group?”

I felt a grimace rise and had to calm my face so he wouldn’t see it.

For me, part of the joy of a long walk is not coordinating with others. I don’t want to join or plan a walking group. I want quiet, movement, and no scheduling texts.

Of course, the desire probably passed from him moments later. He was likely just thinking out loud. Meanwhile, I’ve been ruminating on it for two days.

On Sunday, while friends were visiting, my husband pointed to a blank section of wall and said it felt like it needed some art. He and our guests launched into a conversation about what kind of art it should be.

Again, I had to suppress a grimace. There’s enough stuff in my life. I have no desire for a little more art.

And yet—a little more art really would put a smile on his face.

Art is never a straightforward purchase for him. He’d want to know the artist. There would be a story. The piece would come with meaning. All of that would cheer him.

Am I becoming austere? Do I need a little more vision for my life? Do I need to speak up more about what I want?

In my relationships, I tend to keep the peace. My husband has good judgment and great taste. So I’m usually happy to go along with what he wants. But maybe there’s a middle ground—something between going along and speaking up—that’s worth exploring.

My career on the other hand... more thoughts on that in a future post...