SoCS – May 14 – The Hats I Wear

Linda is our host for SoCS. I, like a multitude of others, enjoy writing “off the cuff.” Take a look at what others have posted after you join in the fun.

Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “hat.” Use it literally or metaphorically. Have fun!

It’s past midnight and I am not tired. That’s because I took a late nap this afternoon.

My daughter and the three Z^s came for a visit today. Being the ever cautious one, we began our visit outside. My daughter has two more weeks off school post her medical procedure. We had a conversation about how when you are away from work, people often forget about you. It’s like your hat disappears when you are no longer in sight.

I was thinking about all the hats I used to wear. I wore the hat of a teacher for many, many years. I loved that hat. I miss that hat. But in some ways, I will always be a teacher. I think the hat is permanently glued to my head.

Post retirement, I still wear many hats. My hats are ones that bring me joy. I am a seamstress, an artistic scrapbooker, a gardener, a reader, a fur baby mamma, a pro at decluttering, an amateur cook, and an invested caregiver to myself.

My favorite hats though, are those of Mom, Grandma, and friend. These are the hats that give me the most joy. I hadn’t seen all my Z^s together in a long time. The long hugs we shared were the best things I’ve had in a very long time. My eldest grandson is now 6’5”. He hasn’t been to my house in quite a while. (Since the beginning of Covid) He walked around and told me my house shrank while he was away. He giggled stating that he was sure my furniture was taller before. It was fun to see him so grown up and yet such a kid.

Z² is taking driving lessons now. I am glad I don’t have to wear the hat of driving instructor. She is very excited to say the least. She didn’t know if she should tell the instructor that she had driven (illegally) with her dad before. At the end of her lesson, he told her she was a level 2 and not a level 1. We all assume that is a good thing.

 Z³ was thrilled to be playing board games at my house. He is very skilled. I am pleased that I wore the hat of game instructor for all my grands. Z³ won the first game. His older brother was not too happy about it. I won the second game of Sequence, but it was a close game. When we retired into the house, Z³ wanted to know if he could get the Hot Wheels cars out of the garage. I told him where they were and he promptly began playing with them, just like a little kid.  My daughter commented how nice it was to see him playing like a kid and not on a device.

The long visit made me very aware that my Nana hat needs to be worn more in person. It’s hard with the long distance between our houses and the medical difficulty of the drive. The kids are growing up so fast. Phones are fine, but in person is so much better. I sent them off with a care package. I also hugged them all and told them how much I love them. I already miss them all.