A couple of things

Sometimes you just get a reminder that you need to step back, look around, and remember what's important. After a bad scare with Bart last week, a visit to my psych, one really bad dream involving a drawbridge and being in too big of a hurry, and some tears of sympathy for a couple of friends who have recently lost loved ones, this is what I have determined:

What's really important to me:

#1) My kids - no explanation necessary

#2) My husband - since we're stuck with each other for a reallllllllllly long time, we'd better work on our compatibility issues

#3) The people who raised me, changed my diapers, loved me despite knowing me during my "big-hair" phase, or otherwise had to put up with me + hormones (parents, grandparents, siblings)

#4) Church and friends - they are the people who are really there for you & love you, after your family, of course, but you're not obligated to see them on holidays, special occasions, or buy them gifts

#5) Love - (this one needs some explaining since I've learned it can be translated two completely different ways, depending on whether you speak Female or Male. I do not speak Male, so I have learned by trial and error that Love can also mean Sex in that language. In Female, it almost NEVER means Sex, but usually always means a nice dinner, a movie, cuddling, an evening walk, holding hands, complimentary words, and even a new pair of shoes if you play your cards right---------- but this actually is probably the most important thing I have learned so far----------- Love means compromise whatever the language, so you have to be willing to do stuff you don't want to do when you REALLY don't feel like it because you love the other person)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#6) Possibly the dog - the jury's still out on that one, he peed on the laundry hamper today but he does this cute thing where he stands on his back legs and gives "high five"

#7) Sanity - it doesn't matter if I get everything done anyway if I get myself committed since the house will just be trashed again by the time they let me out, which leads to:

#8) Simplicity - if I'm not doing #'s 1-4 (and possibly #5) well, then it's time to cut back on the things that don't matter a hill of beans at the end of the day (this basically includes blogging, So You Think You Can Dance, keeping my toenails painted, and - luckily for me - vacuuming more than once a week). I am also using this one as an excuse for bombing my Precalc class this summer.

I'm not wise or anything, but after being with the same person for almost 14 years and raising a kid or four, you begin to notice certain patterns. Plus I just spent three hours in front of this computer doing Anatomy and Physiology homework and am pretty sure this is all a dream anyway!!!!!!!