Back When....

I'm sitting back relaxing with a coffee in my hand, my computer in my lap and my foot soaking in an Epsom salt bath; yes, it's quite relaxing, but I'm soaking my foot because of my clumsiness, not my need for relaxation (in fact, I'd rather be doing laundry and cleaning the house).  Yesterday, I was in the basement tidying up and I stepped on a screw and drove it into my foot.  I'd like to say that this is an isolated incident, but I'd be lying.  You see, I'm convinced that I'm one of the most accident prone people around.  A couple of weeks ago, I dropped an 18 litre jug of water on my index finger.  I am constantly stubbing my toes (multiple times a day), rolling my ankles, bumping into things, etc.  As a child, I was so accident prone that when I'd walk into the doctor's office or the hospital (requiring stitches or an x-ray, more often than not), my doctor would say "What did you do THIS time, Daphne?"  Thankfully, I haven't required stitches or an x-ray for quite some time (knocking on wood right now), but I certainly haven't mastered grace in adulthood.  I am hoping that our children will take after their father in this respect.

Stepping on the screw yesterday made me think of the times I'd done the same as a child (yes, I've done this before, more than once) and my grandmother would fix up her infamous bread poultice to draw out any infection that might exist.  This is one of those old home remedies that actually seemed to work (for splinters as well).  My grandmother had many of these remedies, including a concoction that she would rub on herself for her arthritis, made up of camphor, liniment, a bunch of other smelly stuff and some type of alcohol (I want to say rum, but it may have been brandy). 

I think my grandmother's generation may have been on to something with their way of life - have a large family, work hard, stretch a dollar and never waste, take pleasure from the small things, use natural remedies rather than seeking medication for every little thing.  My grandmother raised 12 children (including a set of twins) and was a stay at home mother (which was the norm in her time) on very little money and lived to the ripe old age of 84.

I am frustrated with the expectations placed on us in today's world.  As mothers in today's world, we are expected to build a career, have children and return to work, which generally hinders the ability to have more than one or two kids due to the high cost of child care.  Being a stay at home parent is not an option for many (including us), as in today's society, it takes two incomes to maintain a household. My grandparents had 12 children in a house half of the size of ours and now, with only two children, we are complaining daily about our lack of space.  Perhaps this is due to all of the toys and other baby items that we have accumulated, but perhaps it is due to the standards and expectations that society places on us which we then place on ourselves.

I will be returning to work within the next two months and as I'm sure you can tell, I am very apprehensive.  I like the job that I have worked at for the last 8 years, but I LOVE the job that I have had for the last 10.5 months.  I keep wishing for a lottery win for us or some close family member, for money to fall from the sky, for our mortgage to disappear or anything else that will allow me to stay at home with my kids (and possibly have more!).  I guess I'll go buy a lottery ticket now!

Thanks for reading,
Daphne :)