Is it wrong of me to say I breathed a sigh of relief when the 2 kids slipped out the back door with my parents to go for a boat ride this morning? I was thrilled for the hour and a half or so of time to myself. I wanted to do some more yoga, maybe read a magazine, maybe do a little writing, or get in a little work on our upcoming trip to Disney.
Not five minutes into me having poured a fresh cup of hot coffee and sitting down, was my dad back in the cottage requesting my presence on the boat trip. I immediately flashed back to my childhood and my dad saying to me “This isn’t a question . . . it’s a command” (which sounds harsher in print that it was likely meant). So I grabbed a sweatshirt, some flip flops and a life jacket and headed down to the dock.
As I stomped down to the dock, annoyed that my one chance at “alone time” today was slipping through my hands and wondering why on earth it was so important that I go on a silly little boat ride, I caught a glimpse of my kids . . . cheering with excitement because I was coming to. Ooops.
And the feeling of “oops” didn’t end there. The silly little boat ride turned out be be an adventure to an island known as “The Snakes”. We anchored the boat, hopped out into the shallow water and spent an hour exploring in what can only be regarded as one of nature’s finest playgrounds.
If I hadn’t gone on this silly little boat ride, I wouldn’t have seen my kids run around so confidently on rocks that even a month ago they would have been just picking their way across. I wouldn’t have heard their excitement at seeing a whole slew of pollywogs or the school of minnows. I wouldn’t have seen my son expertly drive the boat (with parental guidance and boat license in progress), or my daughter proficiently tie up the boat at the dock. In essence, I wouldn’t have had about a thousand special little moments with the kids and the Husband.
It’s hard, sometimes, knowing when to draw the proverbial line in the sand, and take some time for yourself. My fear of missing out on adventures like the one we had today has kept me from saying no to a lot of things over the past few years. What I learned today though, was that it’s important to listen, really listen, to the important people in your life before drawing your line in the sand. The kids are tired out after a long day of adventures, exploring, swimming, and just generally running around. They’re happily ensconced in front of a movie, and I am quite happily working away, undisturbed . . . Yup . . . in the end, I got my alone time, and the most fantastic time with my family. #100morselfsofjoy
(oh . . . and today’s adventure took us suspiciously close to the lighthouse from my previous post!)
nancyhotson 
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