tuesday nights {still + life}

Neel's out of town tonight, so after his hitting lesson, Cal and I are treating ourselves to dinner out. That's not how we've been rolling on Tuesdays, of late. I've mentioned, I think, that Cal has started cooking for us one night a week. We love it and he loves it. Because of his homework schedule, Tuesday night is his night. Last week, Neel taught him how to grill (Burgers. Awesome.), but the week before that, when I took these photos, was the first time he made a recipe that he was familiar enough with to move about the kitchen on his own, as if it was his own familiar territory.

He made us one of his favorites, Chorizo Sausage Tacos from Rick and Lanie's Excellent Cooking Adventure. It's one of our favorite cookbooks and has long been one of our favorite dinners. It was the first dinner Cal learned to make.

These are the things we do, teach our kids the skills they need to know to go forth and live their lives on their own. Laundry, cooking, ironing, making their beds. All the little tasks that make up daily life. So am I proud that Cal is accomplishing these things? Of course I am. But the satisfaction he feels in feeding us once a week, the lesson he's learning that feeding your family is not just an task of nourishment, but an act of love. Well, this is good.

weekend lookback, november 17

In our school conferences last month, I happened to say, "Cal's an introvert." His German teacher responded definitively, "Cal is not an introvert." Coming on the heels of his history teacher telling us that he's "irrepressible in class... in a good way!" you'd think we'd start to doubt our assessment.

I don't doubt my assessment. How do I know this? Well, genetics for one thing. He comes by it honestly. And when a kid needs quiet to recharge the way this kid does, well, trust. Can we be irrepressible in class? Sure! Can we chat with a table full of strangers at a wedding? Of course? Can we go out of our way to make people comfortable in public settings? Well, yes. Yes to all of that. Yes to chatting with hairdressers and the lady at the ophthalmologist to hanging out with our friends and to seeking out our people to be with and to making small talk at parties. Of course we can and we even enjoy those things. The only way we can enjoy those things is to recharge in our space. To be with the people who let us be quiet and even not be with them too. 

In this family, we all need that time, and this weekend was an introvert's dream. I left the house to go to the grocery store and that was it. It was heaven. Neel and Cal have a new routine where they go to lunch and then go into the lab so they can both get work done, and that was it for them too. Cal spent some time with his friends, but other than that he was tucked in with me, watching some football (but we don't want to talk about it). Neel worked a lot (and he likes going in on the weekends so he can be alone). Even the beagle spent the day under the covers. It was great. And just what we needed to recharge after one busy week and to face the next.

My mom keeps reminding me that I have the book Quiet and I need to read it. I just need to find some time alone to do it.