On a recent evening, we were hanging out in front of our house, and Everett said to me, "Mom, can you take pictures of me dancing, because dancing is my favorite thing to do." Of course, I obliged him (because taking photos of my kids is one of my favorite things to do, so it was a win, win).
Our life is deliciously boring these days. Our days are filled with simple joys like tickle tackle, dress up, books, and dance parties. About ten years ago, when I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, there was a quote that stood out to me: "It's the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary." I was drawn to this quote not because it reflected the way I lived at the time, but because I wanted to believe it. I am a goal oriented person, and I spent my twenties being ambitious with higher education, exercise, travel, and developing a career. It was a challenge for me to slow down and enjoy the simple things. In this year of spending my days with my kids, they have helped me find the extraordinary in the everyday.
We recently had a really exciting Saturday night when I took Everett on a date to the library. We didn’t have a little sister to chase around, so we luxuriously looked through piles and piles of books. I told Everett he could choose five books to bring home, and he negotiated twenty. We stayed until they kicked us out at closing time, and came home with two heavy bags of books. Everett dumped them out on the couch and he and Cambria sat there looking at books together until it was time for bed. That week, he kept asking me if I remembered when we went on a date to the library, and how much fun we had. I know he won’t want to spend his Saturday nights with me forever, or find such excitement in a trip to the library, so I want to remember this stage where he does. That’s what an exciting Saturday night looked like for us, and honestly, I’m okay with it.
We recently had a really exciting Saturday night when I took Everett on a date to the library. We didn’t have a little sister to chase around, so we luxuriously looked through piles and piles of books. I told Everett he could choose five books to bring home, and he negotiated twenty. We stayed until they kicked us out at closing time, and came home with two heavy bags of books. Everett dumped them out on the couch and he and Cambria sat there looking at books together until it was time for bed. That week, he kept asking me if I remembered when we went on a date to the library, and how much fun we had. I know he won’t want to spend his Saturday nights with me forever, or find such excitement in a trip to the library, so I want to remember this stage where he does. That’s what an exciting Saturday night looked like for us, and honestly, I’m okay with it.
When people ask how we are or what’s new with us, the answer is we are doing well and there is nothing new. Our new and exciting things these days are seeing the butterflies at the Safari Park or the octopus protecting her eggs at the aquarium or a baby Beluga nursing at Sea World.
It’s simple and yet magical. I have no cares and a thousand cares. I have all the freedom and no freedom. We aren’t busy and yet our days are so full with barely any downtime. Our life is both boring and extraordinary.
Nothing is new and exciting with us, and yet, each week, we find new things that excite us, and it's a slow and sweet season in which we find ourselves.
"Mom, can you take pictures of me dancing, because dancing is my favorite thing to do":
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