Sally May the Grump

In Hank the Cowdog, Sally May is the rancher's wife.  She has 2 young kids and constant frustration with Hank, the cow dog.  I get that Hank needs an enemy and he has many--other dogs, coyotes, Pete the barn cat, etc--but Sally May is the constant source of tension for him.

I am Sally May.  Today I feel a cold coming on.  I'm at about 60%.  #2 is puny too at about 75% but numbers 1 and 3 are both at 110%.  Where is the justice in that?

Enter Buddy, my very own Hank the Cowdog.  He's a great fit for the family and Aaron has a spring in his step, having a dog again.  But somehow I'm the one who gets to take kid toys out of his mouth.  He's not super-chewy, but he has already taken out a handful of toys, the paint off the wall by the door and a nibble on a dining room chair.  In just a few days.

I read a book called Margin last summer that makes the argument that we fill our lives so full that we don't have any room for margin.  I think of Sally May.  She's a shrew.  We rarely see her be kind, caring or even nice to others in the book.  Sometimes I wonder how Loper, the rancher, chose her to be his bride.  And then I look in the rear view mirror at the grumpy redhead looking back at me.

Margin was different when Aaron and I were dating.  I was at my best back then.  I was interesting, well rested and full of fiest and life.  Now I lose sight of being my best way too often.  Instead, I focus on the frustrations of today like having a boy bathroom that constantly smells like a men's room urinal at any public restroom (according to Aaron), boys who bicker and not being left in peace to complete a thought.  That said, I don't want to be Sally May.

I can't control much in this world, but I can control my attitude.  I can take a deep breath and know that anything Buddy tears up isn't irreplacable.  This is a great time to teach the boys the importance of being tidy.  Real world consequences are headed their way.

This is also a great reminder for me to get working on my goal--figure out what recharges my batteries so that I can leave Sally May-land and get back to being the really special woman God made me to be.