Same Old, Same Old

Except same old, same old doesn’t mean boring or annoying to me. I like patterns. I like routine. I like the same old, same old. One of the things that I wished had stayed same old, same old was the old Martha Stewart show when she came on Sunday afternoons at 4:00 on PBS. I liked her home, gardens, and chicken coop better than her tv studio where she cooks with $100 a pound truffles.

Saturday I asked Grace to French braid my hair so it would stay out of my eyes. She did.

Cali said I looked cute in them.

Grace cocked her head to the side several times during the day and said, “You just look so cute in them.”

When Ray saw me he said, “You look twenty years younger!”

When Calvin saw me he said, “Whoooooaaaa!” then commented several times how much he liked them and that he thought I should wear them more often.

That night as I was getting ready to go to bed Grace said, “Mom, I think your braids are really cute. (Pause.) Around the house cute. I don’t think they’re seminary cute though.”

The next morning I laughed at Grace’s comment. I wasn’t sure she’d said it or if I’d dreamed it. I said, “Grace did you tell me last night that my braids aren’t seminary cute?”

“Yessssss.”

I started to laugh and said, “Did you think I might be tempted to wear them in public?”

She said, “Well……everyone kept telling you how cute they were so I was afraid you might think you could leave home in them.”

Oh ho. It makes me laugh just typing it out.

I said, “Oh Grace, I understand that these are things you only wear at home. Kind of like the black headband.”

I’ve worn a black headband a few times the last few weeks when jogging or working to keep my hair out of my face. When I first saw myself in the mirror I thought, “Whoa, this is u.g.l.y.” Calvin winces when he sees it, Cali says “Please mom, take it out,” and Grace laughs because it really is so hideous.

Grace cut my hair yesterday. I'm back to the same old, same old.  I can no longer wear braids

. . . but I can still wear the headband.