Not too many days ago, Lucy and I went for…
a walk in the park.
We are not experiencing a polar vortex here.
But at 37 degrees, it was a chilly walk.
Due to grading days and school work days, Lucy had a few days off.
Since Lucy is the youngest we tend to get these moments…
Or TAKE these moments.
I could have easily said no to her request to go for a walk
after we dropped brother and sister off at school.
It’s not like there’s nothing else for this WAHM to do.
However…
No regrets.
Cold fingers. Cold toes. Cold noses.
And an overwhelming to-do list.
But no regrets.
And no empty bellies.
At the end of our walk, Lucy made one more request…
“Can we get a donut the size of my head?”
Like I would say NO.
Plus, BEST DONUT BAKERY GOD INVENTED is right by the park…
Oh. And A maple bar guy is morning changing,
if not life changing.
NO YOU JUST ATE LEG.
She is not as violent as she seems.
It’s the sugar.
And we walked over a mile in the snow cold so between the walking,
and running ahead of mom,
and the shivering,
AND THE TALKING,
(oh can she talk)…
The sugar rush was totally called for.
And neglecting that to-do list for a bit was too.
As a tasker, and very list-focused person… it can be hard to choose to take those moments and run (or walk) with them.
The night after we went on the walk I ran into a man whose children are grown and gone. Rather, he was talking to my friend as I was sitting with her… and he said what I hear many parents of grown children say…
Enjoy this time.
You will never get it back.
Never.
Something else he said made it hard for me not to cry right there…
When they leave the house, it’s like they take the air with them.
Ache.
I am glad parents of grown children take the time to remind us. It’s easy to get lost and frustrated and become automated in the doing. Moments like that give me pause and help me to remember it’s more than OK to stop and leave the list behind for awhile.
I will never get that morning back with Lucy, and I’m glad my memories are of cold, giggles, and donuts… instead of email.
