Brilliant Kids and Exes

I swear, one day a month, my kids conspire to give me a heart attack by getting up on time and being fully ready to go to school. Tyler even packed a lunch. Of course his reason for going to school on time today is that he wants his game console cords back. But hey, if it gets him in school...

While standing at the bus stop with Kayleigh this morning, it began to piddle a bit. She immediately coined a new word: rainyish. I think we need to add that to the Seattle lexicon.

Went to a meeting with Tyler's new school counselor. She's really good and on the ball, and he seems to respond to her. We need to figure out what needs to happen to get him to pass 8th grade. He's got an A in Literature and is near failing everything else, which sure as heck points to a deeper issue and not lack of ability.

Had a nice visit from Jamie last night. Just a friendly sit-down, catch-up over a mug o' tea kind of thing. It was nice to see how we're each doing (i.e really well). As little as I felt I needed closure on that relationship (having ended back in August last year), it was really great to get the blessing and validation of an ex. And really, "ex" carries a certain negative connotation. I don't think of Jamie as an ex so much as a friend with whom I was once romantically involved. Semantics, I know. But there's a remnant of some spiritual love there, an inherent goodwill for each other that I hope will never go away.

Come to think of it, after the initial damage of my parents' divorce and their respective remarriages, the four developed and maintained a really miraculous relationship that surpassed "civil". To the point that my stepdad acted as MC at my dad's memorial service and delivered an amazing eulogy to the man who had sired children he counted as his own. Beautiful. Somewhere there's a photograph of my dad and stepdad playing chess. No politics, no bitching, just a couple guys lost in the game. And out of a whopping four relationships in the last three years (the longest of which lasted all of three months), I'm still on good terms with two of the women. Not a bad average. Anyone who says you can't be friends with an ex is clearly lacking the skill to do so (or at least the desire to try).

I feel really free now. After this amazing show last weekend, new professional avenues and associates popping up all over, I feel for the first time in over three years like I can truly spread my wings and soar into the future. A lot of it has been fulfilling commitments and checking off old projects, putting the past to bed.

And to that end, I'm excited about going out to dinner with my new friend RM tonight.

Regardless of the school issues and the kid issues and the state of one's house, what makes it worthwhile is the connections one makes and the focus one puts on the positive. Hear that, Universe? Bring me some positive.