So I had some time to reflect last week – not much but probably more than usual. Last summer, our family took an amazing trip to Hawaii – growing up in a small, landlocked, flat as bread state, the idea of spending an entire week in Maui would have been a pretty far fetched daydream. And while it was amazing, taking a week of staycation seemed like the right thing this year. It turned out to be brilliant!
Relaxing? Yes, if you consider not having to run from meeting to meeting for 8 hours a day relaxing. No, if you consider on average 1.5 playdates with 2 or 5 year olds everyday and finally ticking off a long list of “to do’s.” On that list? A vegetable/flower garden – which my kids, Grandpa and I managed to get done! These days, I find myself more than ever putting myself under the microscope as I think about how my everyday actions will impact my kids and how they see the world. So while it may be farfetched, a vegetable garden was on my list for quite awhile as a way to teach responsibility and realize the beauty of life. We’ve always had one, but since moving to a new home earlier this year, it’s been hard to find the time to break ground. But we did it and while it’s a bit late, we’re hoping a pumpkin or two will spring up just before Halloween.
So what else did I reflect on? I really feel grateful that someone is watching over my family and our happy little life. Being with my kids – playdates, tae kwon do classes, swimming, etc. – and seeing my wife much more during the day made me realize how lucky we are. Sure, we worry about the fact that our 2 year old son has been on a hunger strike for months and may be the only shrinking 2 year old boy on the planet and that our daughter may have a hard time making friends in her new kindergarten, but it took a movie we watched one night to remind ourselves how trivial our “problems” are.
7 Pounds was the movie with Will Smith. We heard the reviews weren’t great, but we’ve wanted to watch it for awhile and so in the spirit of a staycation, we stayed up late one night and did it. Wow – not sure if it’s the best movie ever made, but the message was pretty powerful. We ended up talking about how fortunate we are for days after. Bottom line, we don’t got problems. In fact, we should think more about those in need and do it constantly – and help.
The other reflection I had? It’s really hard being my wife. Holy moly is it hard. We have a household that I sometimes think could be the Cleavers from Leave it to Beaver – I take out the trash, do things around the house, my wife cooks meals, etc. I don’t think I’m sexist, it just works that way. And I really enjoy those rare moments when I drag myself out of bed earlier than Polly on a Saturday to cook the family breakfast – but it’s very rare. And every night when I get home from work and I see Polly feeding the kids with my dinner ready next to them, I say a silent thanks (and to her too:). But this week, I really appreciated everything she does to keep our household running and to keep the kids occupied and having fun. I had a blast walking in her shoes for a few days, and it definitely deepened my appreciation for what she does day in, day out. Thank you Polly, I envy your work and thank you for doing such a great job every day!
yes, you are a lucky man to have p as a wife.
[...] for what I’m thankful for today? Remember that vegetable garden from my staycation? First green shoots – maybe we will get the combines out to harvest our veggies after [...]