Big Littles

It's been the ordinary everyday things that have brought happiness, levity, and lightness to these last couple days. Ordinary things like long walks at the start of the day. There's really nothing better to clear my mind than pounding the pavement for a few miles. When I'm walking, I'm alone in my head moving forward on auto pilot. It's different than running. When I'm running, I'm thinking about my body...obsessing about stride and gait, fixated on inhaling and exhaling, consumed with my route and distance. I may feel like I have cleared my head when I'm done, but it's only because my endorphins are on overdrive and I feel so good I simply don't care. I run to escape...I walk to confront.

Usual things like preparing meals for my family and chores. Pancakes for breakfast. Sandwich making 101 with T. Bone. There's an art to spreading the condiments on just the right way so as not to pulverize the bread, there's technique to layering the fixings. Toll House cookies with a twist fresh baked for today's after school snack. A Cinco de Mayo supper. Fresh smelling laundry baskets filled with baseball uniforms and lots of pink and purple. Running my fingers through Miss Bit's clean washed hair as I dry it. The scents of a house well lived in.

Regular things like baseball practice and den meetings. This week the boys focused on heritage. We dug out the family tree T. Bone made in K5 and were both saddened by how many loved ones we've lost in the three years. When he stood before his fellow bears, he was articulate and composed and adorable. All the parents were invited to this meeting - I was the only one who came and I'm glad I did. Miss Bit and I joined the boys for a rather diverse spread: challah, matzo ball soup, sausage and Norwegian cookies. We learned something about everyone.

Average things like hitting McD.'s drive thru on a warm night whim for a cool dessert. As we waited in line to order our ice creams, T. Bone wondered if I'd get one. Then he coaxed, "Come on Mom...you should get one." It seemed of utmost importance to him that I be one of the kids so I did. They were so sweetly smitten with their 49 cent vanilla cones. So excited that you would've thought I took them to Italy for gelato! It was my first McD.'s cone and it was good!

Familiar things like homework and bedtime stories. Multiplication bingo with him and beginning Charlotte's Web with her. I read it to T. Bone when he was 5 too. He acts like he's hanging in my room to play with the cats, but he's really nostalgic for a little Fern and Wilbur, and just maybe storytime too.

Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. (Antonio Smith)