Static

Life gets busy and, I think, most times it goes unnoticed.  I mean, we're all accustomed to the daily grind and so what's one more thing?  Get up, drop off the kids (figuratively and literally), go to work, work, pick up kids, homework, baths, dinner, bedtime.  Repeat.  Sometimes there are dance classes or sports practices, meetings, swimming lessons, trips to the market, or doctor visits mixed in, which can make the day/week/month seem even longer.  But because this model is pretty much the standard for many of us, the things we might lose sometimes go unnoticed and unmourned.  And then it hits you and you can't believe what you took for granted.

Because everything's alright until it isn't, and the isn't can (and usually does) come without warning.

My house falls prey to this, too.  There's always so much going on between the four of us that all it takes is for one hair to fall out of place and disaster strikes.  Okay, maybe not DISASTER, but certainly frustration.  It's just a matter of running out of steam, usually.

And then we have a day like yesterday where nothing stood in our way of being together and having fun. We had no class to make, no party to attend, no appointment to meet and so we played.  Without rushing. It was like a mini vacation the way we squeezed it all in.  The way we had time to smile at each other, to talk to each other, to shoot zombies together, to roller skate in the park or sleep in the shade together.  In the usual course of a day, I forget how relaxing and fulfilling a day like that can be.  And not just a day like that, but even MOMENTS like that.  Just those few minutes that Lucy and I talk about being animals in the forest while looking for mongoose in the grass, for example.  Or Noah and I getting a chance to talk about the books we're reading.  Or being able to embrace my husband for more than the 10 seconds we take to say goodbye in the morning.  Sitting on the wall at Diamond Head, knees propped up between your arms, watching the surf roll in and remembering the importance and necessity of silence.

I look forward to summer-- to the long days at the beach, to camping at Bellows with my entire family, to working only half a day and spending the rest of it with my kids and Charlie.  And I can't wait to see more of you, too, at the zoo, aquarium, or park :).  Here's to hoping we all get more time to be with those we love without all the static of responsibility.