So The Flirt and I are sitting in the living room watching 80’s videos (you know, back when music and their videos were good), and there’s no titles or artists listed on the videos as they came on. We made a game out of trying to remember the names of the bands and songs as they appeared.
Along with guessing the artists and song titles came discussion of what bands we’ve seen, and who’s still on the “to see” bucket list. This one song came on the tv just then that we had a hard time identifying. Then out of his mouth pops… “oh… I saw them. Yeah, that was the night we stole the limo…”
The Flirt used to drink quite heavily back in the day, and has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Today he launched into this story about they got into someone else’s limo after a concert, and got the driver to take them home to the after party. That’s not really stealing, but more of a coercive hijacking. Apparently the limo driver liked to party and was easily talked into shenanigans.
Then there was the time that the Flirt and his friend ran into a bunch of guys coming out of a bar and offered them a beer. Turns out that group of guys was the band Skid Row, and their kindness in offering them beer earned them a pass to the hotel the band was staying at in Fargo that night. The Flirt and his friend showed up, and did in fact party with Skid Row. Not much is remembered, other than a good time was had by all.
This storytelling is something The Flirt does all the time, and it feels normal to hear all about his wild, misspent, drunken youth. I’ve heard so many of the stories several times, but this one about Skid Row was new, and only remembered because their video came on randomly today.
Doing stuff that feels normal is a big deal right now. Everything we normally do has been tipped over on its head, and we are having to find our way again through the most mundane tasks. Today I was messing with my unemployment, having to certify for the week past, and it was stressful. I don’t like being on unemployment. The Flirt telling me stories today was a nice touchstone to help keep me grounded.
Something else we do that is so normal for us is ride the motorcycle. When the weather shows the least bit of warmth, the motorcycles come out in droves. We were no exception. It was good to get on the bike and just go. No masks, no extra social distancing, just he and I on the bike, like normal. Our butts were a bit sore after the first ride of the season, but that’s normal too.
This last week I worked very little, but got very much accomplished around the house. One of the things I did was plant flowers. I usually wait until May or June, but the weather has been so warm that I just needed to get my hands in the dirt and plant something. That’s one of the most normal things I do in the Spring.
Doing normal things helps. Here’s hoping you all find those normal touchstones throughout your days, as we make our ways through these strange and precarious times. Grab onto those… they help so much. Blessings all!
Sparrow's Ramblings 