Little Moments

Yesterday was a hard Monday to get back to work and remote school. Our family had a full weekend: soccer games, birthday party, the beach {hard life, I know}, an anniversary celebration for my parents and we learned of an unexpected death. By the time Monday morning rolled around, we were not our best selves and we were not ready for the week, although thankfully our fridge was not empty. 😉

As the day continued, I needed to fill my own tank with fresh air, exercise and sunshine. As I wrapped up my work day, I texted our au pair and asked her to get our son ready for soccer practice and get our girls ready for an adventure. {I find kids more receptive to change of plans when you give them advance notice}. While I was getting ready for our adventure, our 2 year old ran into our room crying; she was having a hard time self-regulating. I scooped her up and carried her downstairs while asking her if she wanted to go on an adventure. “Yes…” she cried.

I walked outside and my neighbor’s daughter asked me, “you’re going on an adventure? Can you text my mom…?” Instead of texting her, I walked across the street holding my two year old while yelling to my other two girls to get ready for a bike ride. I invited our neighbor’s daughter to join and asked her mom if she wanted to come with.

I walked back across the street as my older girl came out of the garage with her rollerblades on. “Sweetie. Bike ride. No rollerblades.”

“But…” she begged.

“We’re going on a bike ride on the rail trail, the rollerblades won’t work,” I told her.

Hanging
Climbing & Hanging

We pulled the bikes out of the garage, grabbed the helmets, raised a few bikes seats, grabbed a water bottle and snacks and set out down the street, around the corner, past a playground, a school, onto a rail trail to another playground. There we stopped to swing, slide and climb. After the girls ran around, we had a snack, drank some water, admired the sunset and headed home. It was borderline frantic as we raced the setting sun {the sun won} and we pulled onto our street in the dark.

Slide
Sliding by herself

That evening, as we ate dinner, we asked the kids what the best part of their day was. Our middle daughter said the best part of her day was the bike ride and the hardest part of the day was her tired legs. Our older daughter concurred, the best part of her day was the bike ride.

These days, as remote school is hard and work from home days with interruptions, as you find yourself pulled in many directions, remember it’s life is about the little moments. It’s about an evening bike ride to the playground to spend time with your kids while they get their wiggles out. It’s about a quick phone call with a long-time friend. It’s about watching your baby spy a dog {doddie} on an evening walk. It’s about coaching your child’s sports team three times a week for a season. It’s about a last minute walk with a friend. It’s about conversations at the dinner table bringing your family together. Life is made up of little & big moments. While it’s easy to think the big moments are the memory makers, think about the little moments woven into your day to day. Little moments of family & friends supporting one another as they meander & sprint through their life.

What was a little moment in your life you will remember for a long time to come?