“Let’s leave the city,” I said to my husband over my morning coffee. “Let’s stay out all day.” Suffocated by obligations and tethered to computers, I declared a family day of rest – outdoors.
He obliged. We fled.
We drove west to a forest preserve where the kids could climb trees and dig with sticks in the mud and wade in the river. I watched them again crawl backwards on logs, notice nests high above, and throw rocks into the water. The sun was shining and we shed our coats. Eliana held my hand a little when we walked and the thought crossed my mind that she might not much longer.
I left my phone in the car and forgot. Ignored all the to-dos and a terribly packed week ahead.
In the car, they peeled off their wet socks and kicked up their legs. We got too-big cups of cookie dough ice cream, mama caring not at all what time it was or how imbalanced the day’s meals were. Ehsan read Trials of Apollo. The littlest fell asleep. Eliana declared it “the best day ever.” I kicked my feet up too, playing Lauryn Hill’s To Zion in my head.
The to-do list is still there. But I feel slightly lighter. Weekend escape day, we needed you.
Slice of Life, Day 21
Your two word sentences are always so powerful. So glad you and your family fled to a nature preserve. The demands of our work never cease, but we are better supporters of teachers when we disconnect. The never ending to-do list can wait. But holding Eliana’s hand can’t.
Thanks for including the link to the Lauryn Hill song. The lyrics are moving and meaningful.
I credit my mental health as the lockdown days wore into months with weekly solo roadtrips to nowhere in particular. There are a lot of backroads here in Central Texas, and I could drive for miles without seeing anyone else–the most COVID safe excursion one could ask for. Once I drove for six solid hours, returning after my husband had come home from work.
The world can wait. Our spirits can’t, especially if they’ve been tethered too long; we start biting at the leashes that bind us and lose sight of the worldly tasks as we do so. Best to fly a bit.