Sweat & Sparkle

My older stepdaughter was home from college this past weekend, and she got some exciting news on Friday evening about a job offer. It was so sweet watching my husband and her together when she got off the phone. I am still not certain which one was more excited about it. He couldn’t stop beaming, congratulating her, and telling her how proud he was, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

My husband encouraged my stepdaughter to share the news with certain others in her life (do I really need to specify who I mean?), but all she got in response was an ignored voicemail and later a chastising text message, berating her choice, as if she doesn’t have a right to steer her own life.

I bit my tongue. Sometimes that is very difficult to do, but I could tell she was already upset by this lack of support for her. Why make it worse by pointing out the obvious? I’m just glad she was with her father and me when she got the news, so she could get as excited as she pleased and feel happy and proud of herself, like she should.

I wasn’t surprised by the sour reaction. Not even a little bit. I already knew certain others wouldn’t be happy for her. Her accomplishments and successes are a slap in the face to someone who has nothing but an ever-growing list of failures, and each step she takes toward her independence is a threat to someone who wants her to obey orders like a well-trained dog.

Narcissists will be narcissists, no matter what.

My husband and I took my stepdaughter to dinner to celebrate. We let her pick the restaurant. Some people nearby overheard us talking, and they asked her questions about her new job. She chatted with them for a bit, then left the table to use the restroom. While she was gone, one of them said, “She is a sweet girl.”

Yes, she is. She is smart, ambitious, and determined. The job offer she received is something she has wanted since she was a small child, and it’s indescribably exhilarating to see her realizing this dream now. It’s just the first step for her, the launching pad for something even higher, and I can’t put into words how thrilled for her I am.

I can’t imagine being so resentful, bitter, and envious that I would be incapable of being happy for her at such a meaningful moment in her life. To be so hateful and hollow is to be dead inside already, soul-less, joyless. I feel sorry for anyone who is unable to share this excitement with her, because it is one of the proudest moments of my life to see my stepdaughter flourishing beautifully into a triumphant, successful, and happy young lady.

The first day of spring already! It’s a rainy start to the season here, but this weekend is shaping up to be absolutely gorgeous. I’m itching to get outside, get dirty, start that seemingly never-ending yard clean-up before hitting the garden centers and bringing home as many colorful flowers as I can carry.

It’s a lot of work, but I look forward to it every year. I like watching the yard transform, one section at a time, as we spend time in it and give it some love. Every now and then, while we’re working in the yard, someone walking by will stop to tell us how cute our house is or how nice our yard is, and it makes my heart and head swell with pride. We put a lot into our home, and it’s cool when someone else enjoys it, too.

Happy first day of spring!