- My dad is like obsessed with me. Like, he likes me a LOT, thinks I'm like the best apple ever. Don't really get it, cause I'm really not that great and - perhaps a more fair judge of the situation - the other parent doesn't seem that enthralled with me at all. When I was helping paint the near-ceiling edges of my room, Papa Lee offered his hand to steady me on that high, teetery stool I was standing on and when I accepted, he was so happy. Kept insisting for the rest of the evening that I hold his hand. "See how helpful it is, to hold my hand?" "Good thing you're holding my hand, or else you'd be falling!" "Okay okay now hold my hand" etc etc etcccc
- Painting is kinda like working on a marriage. Easy breezy when you're working on a simple, four-sided room with no crown molding, but pretty rocky when you have to work together in a kitchen with endless corners and crannies and edges and CABINETS. You have to work harder to communicate, to overcome frustration, to tape more edges, and inevitably, to clean up more messes that are going to be made. So painting is kinda like a marriage...and like any other kind of relationship in which you may face trials and tribulations. Okay so that was a really bad, overly-general metaphor, but what can I say, I've got painting on my mind.
- Peacemaking: I've been realizing a bit of this all throughout this summer, but it's really clear now. My mom and dad communicate and express themselves so differently and this sometimes causes communication issues. What my dad says in order to re-organize the situation and reassure all participants, my mom finds repetitive and unnecessary, and therefore annoying. Sometimes it's like a train...no, car, collision just waiting to happen and I can see it and RUN in the middle to stop them both from completely collisioning. Reassure dad that what he just said makes sense and is good; distract mom with something new and more problematic or more useful so she doesn't get upset about the repetition. Kinda worried about what will happen when they decide to take up the next big collaboration challenge and I'm not there. Need tons of prayer.
- In painting and in relationships, you have to be willing to get dirty and all paint-covered if there is work to be done. Don't worry about it. Everyone else is getting paint all up in thur hurrs and hands and noses, too, and look at what a beautiful thing you're creating on all the walls. There's always a shower to be taken upstairs. Unless the bathroom's being painted too, in which case...that was just bad planning, and now it's a lesson learned! :D!!
- Cooperation is KEY. Sometimes you get tired, and ask the other person with the roller to meet you in the middle (or maybe more like 25:75...usually dad, cause he likes you the best HEEhe), and then you'll finish the whole wall, something you never imagined possible!! And then you can stand back with your knuckles on your hips diva-style and say "MAHAHA I HAVE PAINTED A WHOLE WALL!! with dad's help"
- Sometimes you just have to use your pinky finger to fudge some of the corners cause NO BRUSH OR ROLLER WILL REACH THAT TINY NOOK. Like relationship and families, no paint job (no...anything, for that matter) is perfect. Don't get too upset about it because I saw Mama Lee doing it, too.
More to be added, as more is learned, realized, painted :)
