Balsamic Vinegar

There are lots of things that you can do with balsamic vinegar. Almost all of them that I can think of relate to food and preparing a good meal. However, I have one more thing that you can use those words for: proving to your spouse that you are tired beyond understanding. Yup, two nights ago I woke in the middle of the night to help with feeding/changing diapers/etc – at Ahna’s prodding – and I said “balsamic vinegar.” She was surprised to hear those words, fully expecting me to say something like “what can I help with?” When she asked what I meant by that, I repeated “balsamic vinegar.” She left me to sleep it off and I have absolutely no recollection of the events. 

I was sitting in the waiting room of a doctor’s office the other morning, and picked up a magazine called Details. Since I have never read the magazine, I flipped to the Editor’s Note to try to find out more about the magazine and that specific issue – June 2008. The note was about an article in the issue that addressed being tired and related that feeling to having a new child. The editor said something to the effect of:

I was at a gathering of friends a few months ago and there was a new baby. All of the women ogled over the kid, saying how cute it was. All of the men asked the husband if he was tired. Why do so many people ask the same questions? Can’t people come up with something original to say? Are we so simple minded and care so little that we can’t say anything more poignant? It made me want to walk away and never return to a party with those people. I didn’t have a child then. Of course, things change and now I have a child. Now I understand a new definition of being tired, and I understand where all of those simple-minded questions come from. Now, they make sense. Now when people ask me how I am doing – even the check out people at the grocery store – I respond to everyone with “I’m tired.”

The piece spoke to me…as I think that I have felt the exact same thing. I have gotten sick of all of the “are you tired?” questions. But now I understand those questions. I feel where those come from. I am tired. I work a job that sometimes has required us to be awake for 24 hours; and I thought I was tired after those shifts…but I was able to recover with a little nap the next day, then a full night’s sleep the next night. Going on 14 days of little consecutive sleep and no set schedule has taken it’s toll….and I think that I have gotten more sleep than Ahna. She has had to feed him while I speak of cooking. Balsamic vinegar anyone?

A friend wrote a similar post – only from the viewpoint of someone a few months more along the trek than we are. 2 week pictures to come later today.