Maaaaaaan… I am sooooooo sleepy! My daughter’s 18th birthday came a few shenanigans and a shindig. Not a PARTY! (Yooo. I’m #sickAF so it can’t be TOO much popping.) *shocked* I know you NOT thinking she burned off with her boyfriend! *winks* Nope, he didn’t shoot through either. People, it’s a corona virus out there and I have a little bit of common sense. NAW. My potnas didn’t visit either. Heeeeeell naw, she didn’t leave with dude. We had a chillaxing, easy celebration of her 18th with close family and ended that mug because the kids had Academy tomorrow. *double wink*
Now, if you know ANNNNNNYTHANG about black folks, like myself, squad and team, you know kids’ birthday parties turn into adult get togethers. Last night, no exception. We hadn’t seen anybody in months so of course, we played catch-up. The gossip was good, beer was cold, smiles big and just LOVE in the air. My daughter’s biological father and new boo hung out with my wife and I till the wee hours of the AM! Good times with good people and I felt like I was in a crash course over food-as-medicine and natural alternatives. Wow. Crushed rose petals and herbs as “tobacco” that mimicked the effects of CBD. *straight face* It was fly as HELL. Yo, it even an incense-like smell or smoke that lingered and felt relaxing.
The students (dem kids) were more tired than ME. *sly smile* PERFECT! I gave several silent thanks as we drug ourselves around the learning laboratory. It was obvious that a spark was needed and I decided to offer a late breakfast of leftover birthday donuts and cupcakes. That pepped them up just enough to make it to lunch. Shooooot, it pepped me up too. Our lunch was another classic, leftover BBQ and Rotel cheese dip.
We finished up The Wizard while grubbing and that mug energized the whole crew. I had forgotten most of the movie so I was getting hype myself at the father’s antics.
P.E. came with thunder. *LOL!* See, I made adjustments all morning and afternoon to account for their sleepiness. Me? I’m used to it because I deal with chronic exhaustion and daily symptoms of the Incurable Trinity. Every hour or so, I was giving them a break, a treat, a stretch, something. At P.E., they were lightly stretching and yapping away about the summer, yesterday, etc. That’s when I hit ’em with the hook, doing it OUTSIDE! Daaaaaaawg. *LMAO!* GURL. Their little faces just fell in horror. Whatever. Let’s go and away we went, to the backyard, for P.E. They did the exercises and I stayed in the shade, yoga’ing, meditating, doing me. It wasn’t bad at all but again, I was in the shade.
Gratitude Assignment
CLEANING UP! What else? I did note that the students (dem kids) jumped in to help without a single sigh, shrug, groan, moan, or complaint. I washed the dishes as a final gift to the birthday girl but spread the cabinets, floors, mopping, drying among the rest. In the past, such a task took hours for me. I played movies and music during the chore but it took forever and felt even longer. By now, Daddy’s Academy of Gratitude has my kids (the students) volunteering to help with stuff. Yup, they still leave a mess sometimes but it is nowhere near the frequency or intensity it once was. Today, clean up day, proved it as we were done in an hour and a half.
