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Thursday, March 14, 2013

take good care of yourself, you belong to me

I clearly remember standing around the piano with my grandmother, maybe on a hot summer day, as we kids came inside from the heat for popsicles. Her fingers would flash across the keys as she flipped through the pages of an old song book. I still remember the words to many of them, "Cows eat oats and does eat oats and little lambs eat ivy. A kid'll eat ivy too. Doo Doo Doo." Except you sing it like this "Cowzy doats and dozy doats and little ams ee divy. A kiddle dee divy too. Doo Doo doo.." One about a farm wife and her child, but I don't remember it all.

She would play and we would sing.

One that sticks with me, lately this days incessently (and I'll try to find a youtube video) has a chorus that goes "Take good care of yourself, you belong to me." (I just looked up the rest of the lyrics, hilarious. I will post below with video link)

Take good care yourself, you belong to me.

I think about this as I sit down every afternoon, my new habit of late, as the kids nap or tear about the house or play quietly or color with me, sometimes with my notebook or laptop, always with a cup of tea. Sometimes I draw. I have decided to be artsy this year. I might take up painting. Like full on canvases with oils. I have been writing poetry too. As much as I can with kids crawling on my lap.

Sometimes I need to remember who I am. I am artistic.

Take good care of yourself, you belong to me.

I think about this as I buy nice body lotion the other day. Like the absurdly expensive all natural stuff that smells like gardenias. And I buy epsom salts for a nice soaking bath. And I actually take the soaking bath.

And I have been eating better again, no longer subsisting on grilled cheese crusts and bites of rejected fried eggs. (Please, for the love of all that is holy, EAT MORE EGGS CHILDREN. Those hens are LAYING. Sheesh.) I am currently eating a bowl of homemade yogurt with homemade strawberry jam and raw honey from my parents neighbors. And I have quinoa sprouting on my counter. This is not to brag, I also just ate an Oreo. This is to say this body of mine feels like its falling apart some days. And I want to be strong for these kiddos, for our family. I may even try going for a run, if the snow could just melt.

Take good care of yourself, you belong to me.

I stop at the flower section in the grocery stores. Daffodils. I buy some. Only because they make me smile.

Take good care of yourself. You belong to me. I belong to them. I need to remember who I am, for me, for them too. I belong to them. I need to be strong, for me, but for them too. I need to do things that make me smile, for me, for them too.

You know?

I know you know. But its hard to do some days. We go from task to task. Ignoring beauty. Ignoring our need to create, to breathe, to relax, to soak in life.

So, this is my call. Take care of yourself (SARA), we belong to them. They need us, to be the best us, to be the strongest, happiest us. Put down the laundry basket. Get outside for a walk. Sit with some tea and a blank piece of paper. Buy some flowers. Write a note to a friend. Get to a yoga class (SARA!) If you have a hard time doing it for you, do it for them.


 
Listen, big boy, Now that you got me made,
Goodness, but I'm afraid,
Somethin's gonna happen to you!
Listen, big boy,
You gotta be hooked, and how,
I would die if I should lose you now!
 
Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
 
Eat an apple every day,
Get to bed by three,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
 
Be careful crossing streets, ooh-ooh,
Cut out sweets, ooh-ooh,
Lay off meat, ooh-ooh,
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!
 
Wear your flannel underwear,
When you climb a tree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
 
Button up your overcoat,
When the wind is free,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
 
When you sass a traffic cop,
Use diplomacy;
Just take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
Beware of frozen funds, ooh-ooh,
Stocks and bonds, ooh-ooh,
Dockside thugs, ooh-ooh,
You'll get a pain and ruin your bankroll!
 
Keep the spoon out of your cup,
When you're drinking tea,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!
 
Don't sit on hornet's tails, ooh-ooh!
Or on nails, ooh-ooh! Or third rails, ooh-ooh!
You'll get a pain and ruin your tum-tum!
 
Keep away from bootleg hooch
When you're on a spree,
Oh, take good care of yourself,
You belong to me!


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