When I was probably about 10 or 11, my sisters and I loved to play house. At least, they did. I had my own way of playing.
My sisters always had 3 to 5 babies each, all the ‘Suzy Homemaker’ accouterments that every self-respecting little mother needed: the entire Suzy Homemaker kitchen, the easy-bake oven so you could make real (if somewhat underdone) cakes for your guests at teatime, the housecleaning gear: vacuums, brooms and dustpans, ironing board and iron, the washing machine, baby beds, changing tables, bottles, diapers and clothing, and then the table and chairs to feed the babies and of course, for guests to enjoy a cup of pretend tea.
Me? Not so much.
Here’s how we played. They cleaned their houses, rocked their babies, kissed their boo-boos, and did all the little pretend grown-up stuff that mothers were supposed to do when playing house.
At tea-time, I would come rushing in, kiss all the babies on their little bald heads, sit and enjoy my pretend tea and underdone slice of cake, and listen to my sisters tell me about pretend life. And I would nod, and make the appropriate noises in the appropriate places.
Then, as I finished the last sip of pretend tea, I would look at my pretend watch and say “Oh my! Where did the time go? I’ve had so much fun catching up sisters, but as you know, I just flew in from Hong Kong to see you, but now I have to get to the airport because I’m flying to Monte Carlo in an hour, there’s a big party this weekend! I’ve got to run!”
And I would dutifully kiss all the babies on their still-bald (and now slightly sticky) heads, do the ‘air kiss-kiss with my sisters, and I would run out the back door to the airport. (The Airport was a big Weeping Willow tree in the back yard, with a low branch the perfect size for me to sit on and lean back against its trunk and read, at least until it got to see the words of my latest book.)
Now, some XXXX (redacted for personal vanity) years later, when I look back at the days of playing house with my sisters, I’m surprised at how those days mirrored our actually lives.
My sister Cathy had 3 kids and was a wonderful mother and grandmother.
My other sister Debra, had five kids and is now raising 5 grandkids.
And me? I had two boys, but for the last sixteen years, a big part of my life has involved traveling with my husband Alain, either just the two of us or leading a tour group of wonderful French people, many of whom have become dear friends.
For a while, I was a travel writer as well. (And Monte Carlo is one of my favorite vacation spots!) Stay tuned and I’ll start sharing vacation tips for seniors, and handicapped people, as well as giving you planning tips, great ideas for places to travel, and more! Along with some stunning photos taken by my husband and favorite photographer, Alain Antier!