tractable /adj. / easily managed or controlled, docile. yielding. easily worked, shaped, or otherwise handled, malleable. amenable. willing. compliant.
tractable /adj./ 1. This week my sister, Rachel, proved to be extremely tractable when I proposed starting up some morning exercise. For whatever reason I exercise more consistently (who am I kidding...it is the ONLY time I exercise) when I have to meet someone. Apparently I have a hard time letting someone else down, but no problem letting myself down. (Sounds about right.) We're starting with just walking...she just had a baby and I am just so frighteningly out-of-shape that anything more would be dangerous. I loved watching the sun come up and visiting with Rach as we rounded the track together.
tractable /adj./ 2. On Tuesday morning I took Caleb to the bus stop as usual, but he was wheezing so loudly, I could hear him breathing over the radio. I suggested that I take him home and then to the doctor and I was shocked to hear his tractable agreement. He doesn't like to miss school for anything, but he was so tight-chested and miserable he readily agreed. After a trip to the doctor, who expressed dismay over his "soupy chest" and tractably gave us three prescriptions, Caleb spent the rest of the day like this:
Ethan was thrilled to have a friend join him in a Star Wars marathon.
tractable /adj./ 3. I got a surprise visit from my cousin Jennifer and her kids on Wednesday afternoon. My kids had "early release" and all the kids were begging for some entertainment. We ended up going to the movie, which as it turns out, is a very fun thing to do in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of the week. I loved having an excuse to "play" and even though neither of us wanted to see "College Road Trip" we ended up being very tractable, since that was the movie all the kids were begging for. (Please note: I only recommend this "film" if you are trying to please 9 darlings and get completely out-voted.)
tractable /adj./ 4. David lost his glasses last fall and has been completely reliant on his contacts since then. This week his eyes were driving him crazy and by the end of the week he finally resolved to get a new pair of glasses. On Friday night we skipped our usual "date" and went to get him fixed up...he could hardly stand it another minute. He was cheerfully tractable as I made him try on pair after pair, but not quite as tractable when I tried to take a picture tonight of the pair he ended up with. Here's his end of the conversation:
"Why?"
"Okay, but just my face."
"I have a good angle. What's my good angle?"
"I said 'JUST MY FACE.'"
"This is not fair."
Bless his ever-tractable nature.
tractable /adj./ 5. The Quilt Retreat countdown has begun and so tonight I enlisted my girls' help in making pincushions. They are tractable to any activity involving fabric and had lots of fun stuffing these little fabric balls I made. Happily, this proved to be the perfect task for their tractable little fingers.
