2020!
I’m so over 2020!
Actually, I’m over people being over 2020. Celebrities die every year (RIP Sean Connery) and stuff happens every year. Maybe not on the level of a global pandemic, but complaining never did anyone any good.
Complaining about the complainers, however, is totally valid. I’m enjoying the view from atop my high horse.
Anyway, these last couple months have been different and hectic for the Franklin family. I’ve cut down on my work, which is a nice aspect of being self-employed. That is partly due to some junior high-ish BS involving my work, which is not so nice. But the main reason I’m staying home more is because of school.
Missy started her PhD program, which is somehow even more time-consuming than we thought it would be. Losing our power briefly this week actually allowed her to take a tiny respite from it. She’s working on it nearly every waking moment. I’m so proud of her because she’s stuck with it despite the enormity of the task and also because she is doing very important work fighting human trafficking. I get to proofread her papers and I’ve learned a lot of things that make you cry while also making you proud knowing you are helping make a difference. Or your wife is, anyway.
We have elected to do virtual school for all four kids. Overall, I’d say it’s going just fine for three of the four and we feel good about the decision we made for our family. With Missy’s packed schedule, I’ve taken the lead on the kids’ school. It’s really made me feel closer to all four of them than I felt before the pandemic.
We didn’t get to do anything on Fall Break because Missy had two big papers due that weekend, but we took advantage of the flexibility online school offers to take a family day trip to the Wichita Mountains on a weekday recently. Of course we went to the top of Mount Scott and took in the beautiful view there. We also visited the Holy City, walked on a hiking trail and spent some time at one of the small lakes on the refuge. The kids loved looking at the bison and longhorns roaming around. The only downside to the day was when poor Maddux stepped directly onto a small cactus. He fell down and got the quills all over his sweatpants. It was a slow and painful process to remove his shoes and pants, and we had to swing by a Wal Mart in Lawton to buy him something to wear before we went to dinner, but he’s a tough dude so he survived.
Next on the list of fun stuff that happened in October was the YMCA Halloween festival. They did a great job of keeping everyone socially distanced while still providing plenty of games and candy. Missy was busy working on another paper but I took all four kiddos and the only problem we had was that we ran out of time and didn’t get to play all the games. Hawk dressed up as a dinosaur, Addie was an old lady, Myra was Elsa (I think. Either that or Anna, not sure which is which) and Maddux was Tigger.
Last night we had Myra’s birthday party (she’s 8 now!) and carved pumpkins. She said it was her favorite birthday ever, which always makes you happy as a parent. She requested an Oreo ice cream cake for her dessert, and as always Missy made an amazing one. That thing probably has 100,000 calories in it and I’m determined to eat half of them myself. At least it’s keeping me from stealing Halloween candy from my kids. I don’t know anything about those missing Reese’s cups.
Earlier I alluded to some juvenile BS going on at work, and that has caused me some increased anxiety over the last couple weeks. Because of that, I decided to abstain from cigars and alcohol until my birthday, which is November 12. It’s been about 10 days so far and I haven’t had more than a couple small cravings, both of which were for cigars and not booze (if that matters). I’m not sure if it’s really made any difference in my life so far, but it can’t be hurting. Plus, I don’t ever want alcohol to gain a real grip on me. Abstaining for 3.5 weeks ought to allow me to really get sloshed during the holiday season. (Just kidding Mom.)
My real point in sharing this is to encourage everyone to check in on your family and friends. Even those who haven’t gone public with mental health issues might be struggling with something they’ve been keeping inside. Even if they don’t want to share that with you, they’ll feel loved that you cared enough to talk to them.
This is a hard time of year for many people, as the weather turns chilly and the days get shorter. Holidays bring up memories of loved ones lost. The upcoming election is a stress-builder for many as well. We can all lift each other up.
Matt Franklin's Lucky Life Stories 