Lately we have been doing a lot of walking. It was my idea to try and calm the stress I feel around driving and parking in this overpopulated place I live to just walk to the grocery store instead. Cause there are three of them in my neighborhood with the farthest one being only 1.5 km away. So I buy smaller amounts of food and go the store more often. And when I arrive by foot I am in much better mood.
Serendipitously, my teenaged son has a new zest for being out in the world. So the majority of the time he asks “can I come with you?” My answer is always YES! There were times in our journey together that taking my children to the grocery store was the last thing in the world I wanted to do. Mostly because they didn’t want to be there, it wasn’t fun for any of us. But now is different, now we get to talk about what we want to eat for dinner and how to make it. My son is checking out the price of things and noticing the cost of eating. Which is certainly not something that I had any idea about at his age. And is another reason I am a huge supporter of living in the world with our children so they can notice these sorts of things. It feels like an important piece in preparing them for living in the world without me.
Mostly though, we have these moments while we are walking side by side enjoying each others company that are priceless. Sometimes we talk about the sorts of things that have been building up and are easier to share about where there is an abundance of fresh air and natural energy. Other times I have my phone turned up with music pouring out and we literally dance in the streets, like we are the only two people in the world. And then there are the times that we just walk side by side in silence. Sharing the comfort that comes from knowing the space between you well enough that it doesn’t need to be filled up with anything.
I can see the end of this, our time living together full time in the same house. Or more clearly, I can see the ending of him needing me by his side full time. So I take all of this and I breath it into the very fiber of my experience. Because tomorrow he could wake up and decide once again that the grocery store isn’t a fun place to be. Or that doing something with a friend is much more rewarding then walking to the store with me. So I drink in every drop of it for the moments to savor when the nest is empty and I can walk as long and as far as I want on my own.
What might you take an extra moment today to notice? What moments can you slow down to in this busy world of ours? I’d love to hear about it.
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