Pink Sneakers on the Go: Reining in my ponies as I contemplate the rain

Reining in my ponies as I contemplate the rain

Posted by Nora K ,

Are we there yet?

Repeat three times. Start with an exasperated sigh. Add an eyeball roll, just for dramatic effect. The second time, make sure to accelerate your tone, and notch it up to just a decibel below a yell. Go for Gold in exclamation number three and let your wail rip. You’ll snag an Oscar if you throw the tantrum from hell, an Academy Award performance that is guaranteed to make your head swell.

Remember when you were a Kid, restless and fidgety, squished with your siblings in the backseat of a (gasp!) station wagon sans those restricting seatbelts? Asking that annoying question over and over and over again? You get the visual. Those pointless games of counting cars, belching out 1970’s sitcom lyrics, squabbling about stars, how to get to Mars, anything really, just to pass the time. I’m so bored, there’s nothing to do and I’ve got to go pee!

Was that a lifetime or just a few decades ago?

Welcome home. Shelter at home. Stay at home. Don’t leave home.

Are these roadblocks? Lessons? Or more?

It’s all in your perspective.

I’m celebrating in the rain. Conversing with the clouds.

My Poppa’s favourite expression was: “Whoa baby bird, hold on to your horses!” A pony when I was five would have been just as swell.

Another gem: “You can’t get far in your car without a spare tire”. Being a Kid, I chalked up his statement to the nonsensical ramblings of a Dad who refused to stop teaching about stuff I barely understood. Like, seriously, who wants to get a flat tire? Not me! I just want to get there NOW, ASAP! And, step on the petrol, would you please?

“Thunder and Lightning have a lot to say” was Pop’s most profound declaration.

In one ear and out the other…but those were the good old days.

My Papa is no longer with us, yet his words resonate. I now understand.

I’m reminded of a Welsh proverb that an elderly gent consoled me with last August in Wales. My marathon sprint, albeit with burdensome luggage in tow, had resulted in an unexpected scrape and tumble, leaving me stranded in the railway station. I had missed my connecting train and had no other option but to shelter and wait.

Mwyaf y brys, mwyaf y rhwystr.

The greater the hurry, the more obstacles there are.

A few Welsh proverbs that make a whole lot of sense:

* All waiting is long (Hir yw pob ymaros)

* The kettle is boiling and I'm ready.

* Adversity brings knowledge and knowledge wisdom.

* Go slowly and go far.

* Tapping persistently breaks the stone.

* At the end of the song comes payment.

* The guilty flee with no one chasing them.

* It’s raining old wives and walking sticks.

Next post: Next week! Either Tuesday or Wednesday or thereabouts the w/o May 25th.