As I mentioned in my post for yesterday, I came up with a plan during my nightly bath for my first deliberate act of kindness--Tuesday is trash day, and Barney always, always takes out the trashes. So, I decided to take out the trash for him. A small gesture to be sure, but I thought it was a good first start.
We alternate days where we get up with the kids while the other person gets in an extra hour of sleep (we are both night owls and rarely head to bed before midnight, so the 7:00am wake up call hits early for us). So, when my alarm (and by alarm, I mean the squawking sounds coming from my daughter's room) woke me up, my first impulse was to bury my head just a bit deeper under the covers. But, the squawks were not diminishing, and I had to get up. This probably sounds strange, but I motivated myself to get up by reminding myself that today was trash day, and I was going to get to take out the trash.
Somewhat willingly, I managed to roll out of bed and change my daughter (let's call her Olivia), and we headed downstairs to start our morning routine. My tea was soon brewing, and the children's clothes were laid out. I tended to the downstairs trash and had some playtime with O. Once George (my son) woke up, I started the cinnamon rolls and headed upstairs to take care of all of the trashes (including the diaper pail--which I hate, hate, hate), except for the ones in our bedroom.
Once the cinnamon rolls were ready, I got them iced, and the three of us headed upstairs to wake up Daddy. While the children roused him out of bed, I quickly took care of the trashes, completely unsure as to whether or not he even noticed. He came downstairs and had breakfast with us, and then it was time to start getting the kids ready for school. No mention was made about the trashes by either of us, and at this point I was debating whether or not to tell him that I took them out because he does sometimes forget about trash day, and he might not ever notice at all.
But, then fate intervened in the form of a dirty diaper. While I was changing it, Barney took the offending item to put it in the garbage can in the garage, which of course was outside ready for the sanitation guys. He came back in and asked me if I took out the trashes today. I told him I did, and after a pause, he said "thanks." And, that was that.
I wasn't sure how he would react, so I wasn't necessarily expecting any certain reaction. After our exchange, I was glad that he had noticed on his own and was curious to see what else, if anything, might come of it. Soon, the children were at school, and we were both busy in our respective work days.
When lunchtime hit, Barney offered to make lunch, noting that I had done so much that morning. I, of course, accepted and had a very nice bagel sandwich with pickles and fruit on the side :). The project is not designed to garner return favors, but who am I to turn down a perk or two that might arise on certain occasions??
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