Say yes…

Hello my swooning friends. It’s been a while.

I am learning about self sabotage thanks to Maryanne, the latest winner of Survivor. In the final leg of the show Maryanne had the power to pick someone who might beat her for the win (the nice guy) or someone who was less deserving…but easier to beat. In the end she picked person she was more likely to beat…and in her final speech she explained why this very choice was the reason she should win. Maryanne described herself as a “self sabotager”, she puts others before herself which causes her pain in the end. She explained by not picking the “nicer” person, she had for once not sabotaged herself…and for that she was already a winner. I love this so much. I too am a self sabotaging kind of gal, I think that is why I have not Swooned for so long, sometimes when I have a good thing going I become lazy. Sigh. Working on it.

I received a call from my son a few months ago…he was super chipper…Hey Mom, pause, can I ask you something? Oh boy. Was he quitting his new job, was I going to hear about a new game in development, was he contemplating lasik surgery? Can I have Fire Island for a weekend with my college friends? I love this question. Yes, of course, but it is all you dude, shopping, cleaning up, you are the host and it is a lot of responsibility! Boom. The next generation is having unsupervised friend weekends at Fire Island. My dad was smiling from above.

Then call number two. Mom, can I ask you a crazy question, you can say no, it is pretty crazy. Can you possibly pick us up at the JFK then drive us to go shopping, then out to the boat? No thinking needed. OF COURSE! I would get to see them while being UberMom, it was a win win.

So, last Thursday I headed to JFK at 6:45 am, arrived by 8:15, picked them up, found the nearest Trader Joe’s and we started shopping. TJ’s was packed with Orthodox Jewish women shopping for insane amounts of cut flowers…white roses, pink peonies, long black skirts, white Keds, and very synthetic wigs galore. I learned TJ’s is the place to go on Thursday am for weekend Bar Mitzvah flowers. Who knew. So we shop, they pick out a tiny thing of hummus, I replace with two large ones…they pick out a bag of chips, I throw in three more. Sea air makes one hungry. The checkout woman is thrilled that we will be doing our packing of the two full carts, Jacob heavy stuff, Kat light and produce, Ella the rest. The manager comments he has never seen such efficiency. Swoon. The groceries were so cheap, the kids work so hard, here is my credit card…so much for it’s all you dude…I love being a mom.

Onto repacking the groceries in the wheelie luggage from home, parking lot is too insane so we drive a few blocks to a lovely McMansion (white columns and a newly polished gold gate). I love Queens. We unload the groceries on the curb and repack and we are off…back to JFK to pick up two more friends flying in from the Midwest. Arriving just in time to get them I ask for the airline and terminal to find out…OH SHOOT…they are at LaGuardia Airport. Back on the Van Wyck where I make the point that the only person who is allowed to be annoyed with this situation is smiling…so the crabby people (Jacob) should suck it up and move on. Picked up two more passengers, drove out to South Eastern Long Island and BOOM…they made the 1pm ferry with time to get some chowder…I drive back to Westchester and am at work by 2:30. Life is good.

After their spectacular weekend the kids were getting back to JFK on their own…pulling a wagon to a boat, to a car, to a train, to another train, to the airport for a few hour wait before their flight. Easy peasy. Thinking how sad it was that they didn’t get to see Nannie, Greg, or Olivia I offered to bring the troupe to see them. We jumped in the car and headed to JFK and almost two hours later we were all hugging. The TWA Terminal Hotel is spectacular, fun pictures, hugs, nice appetizers and cool drinks, more hugs and silliness. It was a delicious end to a crazy weekend, no self sabotaging, no doing what “should” be done instead of what was right for me…living each moment and loving every minute of it.

Live life…be crazy and spontaneous…say yes.