Just Another Manic Sunday

I forget how much I love the country until I am there again.  And then I am deeply in love.  This past weekend, I got to share that love with my kids, all of whom joined us for the weekend.  OK, so Sam slept quite a bit, Ariel watched way too much TV between fishing outings, and Noah, well, he just needed to rest.  But he also had a breakdown of sorts.  Not even sure what triggered it.  It was one of those manic episodes, where he cried and was inconsolable for a long time, and later the same day had bouts of manic laughter and silliness, a la The Joker, sort of.

Len played tennis with Sam, which gave Len great joy.  I hope Sam experienced some of the same.  Watching Ariel fish was a highlight for me.  And Noah's hole-in-one on the first hole of mini golf was a cause of much merriment and bemusement.  Len and I went on an early morning--and initially VERY cold and foggy rail trail ride, but what a great way to start the day.  Wish I had a trail nearer by, as it's just great to cruise along past farms and streams and lakes, and to breathe in sweet, untainted air.

Coming home was a drawn out process, a kind of leisurely wending our way back.  We stopped for lunch at an outdoor cafe, and it was surprisingly hot in the sun.  We passed a local bike shop and Len and I stopped in, had odometers affixed to our bikes, and treated ourselves to new helmets.

There's always that "holy cow how much dirty laundry do we have??" reaction when we come home, but it was compounded this time by the fact that we had Noah's camp duffel with us.  But that's part of summer's routine and tradition as well, it seems.

It's hard to know, once your kids reach a certain age, how long they'll deign to spend even part of a summer with you.  So I try to remember to treasure the moments, especially the silly ones, like dinosaur feet, kids quiz show, competitive mini golf, bladder busters, and just being around one another, however haphazardly.

As the school year approaches again, I try not to anticipate the tightening in my stomach, the worries about already being unprepared, disorganized, and somehow behind.  I just want to find a way to hold onto the slower pace, lazy days, and happily diminished expectations of summer.