Where is Absurdity When I Need it?

I’ve been struggling with blogging lately, due to lack of inspiration, I suppose.

Our days have fallen into a comfortable routine lately, a welcome change after the chaos that was Christmas and New Year. We school in the morning, have a relaxing afternoon naptime, watch a short movie after nap, and then head to swimming afterwards Field trips are rare, as the weather is cold again. (When it was warm last week, we were sick and did not want to change out of our pajamas, much less go outside.)

These comfortable, predictable days have been wonderful. But the absence of absurdity is perplexing. It is not unusual for me to have odd encounters with people fairly frequently. Like the time a restaurant worker asked the kids about what Santa brought them, and Braden politely told her we did not “do” Santa; Christmas was about Jesus. The worker turned 3 shades of red, apologized loudly and profusely for offending us (???), and glared at me accusedly (when the kids weren’t looking) as if to say, “How could you let me embarrass myself like this? Why don’t you wear a head covering wear a plain dress and no makeup so I will know from the outset that your family is ~gasp!~ religious? This is your fault!”

My friends and family have a long-running joke that I need to write a book entitled “How To Win Friends and Influence People,” the humor being that I have no skill at doing either. Frequently encounters with people tend to end with them looking askance at me, as if they’re asking themselves, “Ooooookay, how do I respond to that???”

I’ve grown quite used to that over the years, and its absence this week is slightly alarming. Am I losing my touch? Am I conforming to the Midwestern norm that has surrounded me for the past 5 years?

Or perhaps we just need to leave the house more often?