Roses and Thorns

After every girl scout event, the girls play a game called Roses and Thorns, where we ask each girl to say something they liked, and something they found challenging.   This weekend I played Roses and Thorns, the Thorn being that Rachael broke her elbow, and we were not able to go backpacking, the Rose being that I had a wonderful weekend at home.  Rachael may have to have surgery on her elbow, we will know on Tuesday (thorn) , however she realized this weekend that she is still somewhat dependent on her Mom and Dad (rose) and that she still likes us (rose); even though she hates that (thorn).  I also realized that I still need to mother her a bit, at times I get so frustrated at her for not being more self sufficient, for not stepping up to the plate, that I just want to beat my head against the wall, this weekend we cuddled in, we watched movies, I babied her a bit, and yet at the end of day, she came to me and said thanks Mom.  She also said, I hate being dependent on others, I can't even wash my own hair, and I said we will do it together, and she said thanks Mom. She is maturing, perhaps not at the rate I did, but we are getting there, and sometimes a little adversity is good for growth, perhaps in three years she will be ready to leave the nest.  I played in my garden, wrote a few new poems, and jumped into a 30 day challenge with the thought of excercising poetic muscles, trying new things, exploring topics that are tabu--perhaps working off of prompts, focusing on craft, and learning.  The poems coming out of this excercise might not end up being my best, but I suspect the ones that follow the excercises will be better.    I am mostly groovy. The photoa rose left on my porch by a fellow girl scout leader, a much needed cheer me up on Friday morning after Rachael broke her arm.