Life in our kingdom is usually buzzing. People are working at school or chores, listening to music, at the computer, reading yet another book, crafting, or even growing relationships by just chatting. The quickest way to stop all this productive work is for the Queen Mum to leave the general area of activity. If no one has her at least in their periphery vision, all work must stop immediately. The reason for the All Stop is that the Queen Mum is a fascinating individual. No one wants to miss out on what she might be up to next. Queen Elizabeth has her followers and this Queen Mum certainly does, too.
The Queen Mum has her own brand of paparazzi sans the cameras. Every afternoon I retreat back to the royal chambers to tidy things up, make the bed, fold clothes, etc. My reward for all this activity is to sit quietly for a time reading. Seated comfortably in my beautiful rocker I relax against its firm back taking my book in hand. Aah! Peace. That's when it usually happens. That disconcerting feeling that something is not right. Someone is looking at me. Or, as could be the case, SomeONES are looking at me. One or more kingdom dwellers will be perched at my open door just watching. All they are waiting for is the smile of acknowledgement. If the smile is granted, they will pass through the open door and perch themselves on the freshly made bed. They might even be so bold as to lay across the pillows that were laid with great care just minutes before. "Need anything, dears?" "No Queen Mum, just watching." (Hmmmmm.......Note To Self - Add more chores to the lists.)
Just so you know - the Queen Mum is totally hip and has her own MP3 player. I will use it when I'm doing yard/house work or when I'm working on some art piece. QM's Favorite Listening - NPR (National Public Radio) or Jazz. The earbuds will not even be warm in my ears when ......."Queen Mum.....*muffled voices*.....?" Patiently removing these earbuds I will ask in a very polite and queenly way "Pardon me?" "Queen Mum ....*distinctly understood voices*....?" Okay, back to..........Not Quite Yet...... HMS will be there, too. Because he is the king, he doesn't even notice that the Queen Mum has her ears occupied. He will just ask his question, knowing that I have anticipated his presence and am tuned into his request. *sigh* Maybe the Queen Mum should purchase a pair of head phones that are the size of dinner plates.
Another fascinating work of the Queen Mum is preparing for entertainment outside the royal castle. HMS is a handsome date! The Queen Mum would NEVER be caught outside the realm without looking her best for the occasion. This involves thoughtful preparation. Princesses are gatherers of information regarding thoughtful preparation. The information they most love to gather involves beauty products and hair styling techniques. They learn all of this at the School of the Open Door. You got it! While I am digging in my bag of beauty, they are all there - mental notebooks in hand. This is when all of the deep questions of life usually surface from them. "Why do you think guys............?" "You know those mean girls who.............?" "What did she mean when ..............?" "Do you ever actually wear that green eye shadow?"
The students at the School of the Open Door are not just princesses. No. It could just as easily be the Prince Heir discussing the puzzlement that all women are, questions about challenging decisions, observations about sports (depending on the season) and how his truck is running. Let me tell you! Queen Mums must be well versed in all forms of information. United States diplomats have NOTHING on the Queen Mum. March Madness BBall Teams? check Five Love Languages? check Super Bowl Scores? check Tire Sizes and Ford Truck Payloads? check
Cooking is another form of QME. Everyone is interested in the results of the kitchen work! The quickest way to disperse the crowd of gawkers is to start assigning chopping, slicing and dicing jobs. Everyone loves the Whirlpool Maid but not too many want to empty her shelves. Too late! You were snagged while you hesitated to stare at the QME. Sometimes I have caught the whole group and quietly retreat to the living room while they finish their work. Now that is some smart Queen Mum thinking!!
THE QUEEN MUM'S PEARL OF THE DAY
"BE AWARE! QUEEN WATCHERS ARE EVERYWHERE. YOU are their example for everyday queenly living."
"BE AWARE! QUEEN WATCHERS ARE EVERYWHERE. YOU are their example for everyday queenly living."
When I was a much younger Queen Mum and all the heirs were toddlers I really resented the fact that the atmosphere in our home was determined mostly by how I acted. If my day was very stressful and I gave into the stress in negative ways it seemed that the whole house slid down the drain with me. When thankfulness for my life moved out of my heart and into my face in the form of a smile, everyone would respond with smiles of their own. If I was frantic and disjointed in my day, the toddlers would just ramp up their KIDness in ways that only little children can. I would try to ignore this glaring fact. I wanted someone else to be responsible for the aura of the home. Couldn't I just blame all of the negative on HMS and claim initiation for all the positive? Unfortunately, NO.
Thankfully the years have taught me to embrace the reality that I can influence the atmosphere in my home. If the troops are cranky and quarreling, I can give some Queen Mum recommendations and stay peaceful while they gather themselves. When HMS has a bout of ManPMS, I can smile sweetly, feed him and then leave him to work it out himself or talk about it. When it is difficult to convince even myself that I can be peaceful, I try to immerse myself into something creative. Exercise seems to help, too. If all else fails naps seem to be just the right answer - for me OR for them.
You might be a queen-in-training, a young Queen Mum with ankles wrapped in small children or even a Queen who has only a king to be considered. It really doesn't matter what stage of queenness you find yourself, the pearl is still relevant regardless of the situation. People watch you. You bring peace or chaos with you as you work throughout your day. It's really a very powerful place and responsibility. Real Queens will accept this for the gift that it is..............................
