Just Write {46}

We woke up a little later than usual on Sunday. This only happens when our early bird alarm clock that goes by the name of Miles actually sleeps past 5:45. Oh yes, an early bird he has always been. To roll over to peer one-eyed at the clock and find the first number is a 7 is a true gift.

I made coffee and put my feet up, held the iPad and did pretty much nothing.

Ryan shifted next to me, he’s always moving. Maybe boys never grow out of that. His newspaper was making those whispering and rustling sounds that only come from those good ol’ feather-light newsprint pages. Asher climbed up next to me and handed me “James and the Giant Peach”. He wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Elsie took dominoes from their tin container, one by one, setting them scattered across the table and onto the floor. Miles was in the next room, watching Animal Plant. I called for him to come and hear more of James’ big peach story.

Later in the day I walked in the sun with a friend who has walked so many roads ahead of me. She tells me what she knows and I take it in and bury it deep because that’s what a person should do with wisdom. Keep it. She tells me that she used to not be able to just do nothing. She couldn’t sit down and, just stop, because if you’re not busy, there’s something wrong with you? We asked. Or do we end up thinking that doing nothing takes something from what you’re worth?

These things are not true, that seems so obvious. And still it is taking me a long time to just sit down. I’m getting there. I told my friend that just the day before I’d been thinking about the rat race, specifically the ones that mothers run. I said that I don’t want to sign my kids up for a load of activities and run from thing to thing. We laughed and I could see my reflection in her sunglasses when I said I want to be a family that doesn’t do much and I want to be proud of it, while I stomped my foot and bit down with a growl–proud of it–grrr.

Then I told her that this is one of the things that I learned from Ellie very soon after I quit drinking. She said, Sometimes doing nothing is doing something.

I wrote it down on a post-it note when she said it because I knew I needed it. I have it stuck to the calendar on the wall by my desk. When there are too many things written on the calendar and I’m feeling all stressed, I look down at that note and know for sure that it’s true.

So my feet were up and my pajamas were on and it stayed like that a long time and then I got up and made pancakes with my boys.

This is the 46th installment of Just Write, an exercise in free writing your ordinary and extraordinary moments. {Please see the details here.}  I would love to read your freely written words so join me and link up below. You can add the url of your post at any time. Just be sure it’s a link to your Just Write post, not to your main page. Then please link back to this post in your post so people know where to go if they’d like to join in.) (Any links not following those two guidelines will be deleted.)

Also. Please take a moment to visit someone else who has linked up! It’s a really good way to meet new writers and get inspired by the meaning behind their moments. Word?

P.S. The winner of the camera strap giveaway from Crafty Chic is jenchic!!! (how perfect)