Author: AlicAt

  • What’s It Like?

    What’s It Like?

    I just watched this video on Instagram where the wife is in the hospital, just having given birth to their child, and the husband is asking her to watch their other children while he runs an errand for a “couple of hours”.

    I. Am. Triggered.

    So the rabbit hole I’m currently in is this, how absolutely jealous I have been, over the years, of mothers who have had partners that made pregnancy a beautiful experience.

    Like, what’s it like to tell a man you’re pregnant and him react with love and excitement?

    What’s it like to have an attentive partner that isn’t put out by your weird pregnancy cravings?

    What’s it like to have a partner who sees you at your most vulnerable and actually supports you instead of looking for a million ways to escape?

    Three times, and I don’t know what it’s like. But, I do know what it’s like to trust your husband to do your claw machine route while you’re in the hospital recovering, and I know what it’s like for him to not only cheat during that time but also steal the money from the machines, subsequently getting me fired.

    What did he do with $1500 in one night? We’ll never know.

    He made every pregnancy something I had to survive, not something I could enjoy. He made parenting seem like a chore, and he made clear his time was more valuable than mine.

    I gave him three children all while feeling pushed by my community to stay and repair whatever his fucking problem was, which was that he just didn’t like me, literally.

    I started dating him because my mother said he was a “young Jimmy Stewart”. They went to the same church. She thought he’d be a good influence on me.

  • Spring

    Spring

    It’s a gorgeous spring day in New England.

    The trees have finally decided to bloom, seemingly overnight. They always bloom later here than anywhere else. The early flowers are recovering from our last frost, and the bugs have officially awakened. I’ve been praying the bats will make another glorious appearance this year; they’re such good bug hunters, and so fun to watch. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen one yet.

    January and February are such hard months to get through here. They feel like they’ll never end, and the snow feels like it will never stop.

    It’s probably when I think about moving home the most.

    Then a day like today happens and we are quickly reminded why that would be the absolute worst idea in history.

    We live in a place that – to us – is magical. Full of the “whimsy” you see women gushing about online.

    My husband is also quick to remind me just how far Oklahoma is from the Atlantic, which will never do. The ocean is where I ground myself. Where I recharge. I’d never give that up.

    So, here I will stay, with my sweetheart till the day I die. That’s the plan, anyway.

  • Excuse Me

    Excuse Me

    I’m still trying to figure out what this space is. Why I created it.

    At first, I thought it might be clever to do a villain series where I showed the world all of the times I wasn’t actually the villain. This actually only led me to all the times I have been the villain. Oof. Accountability. Never a fun road.

    Now I guess I’m just feeling defensive? I have no clue why. Who is even looking? Who am I even talking to? What am I trying to convey to the no one that’s not listening?

    Is anybody out there?

    Sigh.

  • Different Lives Now

    Different Lives Now

    I thought to myself, today is the day.

    I’m going to write about it.

    I’m going to write about what happened.

    I’m going to write about, him.

    So, I sat down and tried.

    My perspective has changed so much over the last what, 20 years? I’m honestly sitting here thinking to myself, none of it matters.

    When I tell you I married the most amazing man, I’m not lying.

    He and I are a perfect match. If he’d let me match our clothes, I do it. This is how goofily in love I am STILL with my husband after 13 years together.

    He’s my longest, most important relationship.

    He’s end game.

    When I go back and I think about “him”, I am sorry that I hurt him.

    I have harbored a lot of guilt surrounding just how many times I think I might have hurt him, and even though he never said I love you directly to me, I now realize his actions were telling me so.

    I could never see it, though. I was in full fledged survival mode. My brain was on overload… and good thing, right? To say anything different would be to regret children and experiences and love and, LIFE!

    It’s the same here.

    Everything about my life is different, and not one part of it would I change.

    We are all right where we asked to be, aren’t we? That’s amazing, isn’t it?

    After months of retrospection, I feel I’ve learned what I needed to learn, and it’s time to file away all of that “experience” under : Completed Charts.

  • Boston Strong

    Boston Strong

    It has been an amazing day.

    The weather was a little chilly, but the marathon was so much fun.

    I met a 3 time Boston Marathon runner from New Jersey and his mom, a couple from Georgia and two ladies from Texas!

    Boston was alive with people! The energy was amazing. Just a buzz of happiness all over the city!

    The traffic was nutty – as usual, but it was managed better than I’ve seen in the past so, I’ll count that as a win.

    I didn’t eat my favorite tacos or go to the beach but, I had a great day.

    And, I’m no runner, but I have newfound mad respect for those who are. Thanks for the lesson, Boston.