Lessons From My 11-Year-Old

I don’t know if you remember, but back in March when we were 15 days into the Pandemic and the kids were really over winter and couldn’t wait to go swimming, I wrote this post.

They were so desperate to be in a pool that they had filled up a garbage can with water and they were “swimming” in it.

Once the weather got warm enough to open the pool, they were in it every day.

ALL THE TIME.

The kids LOVE the pool and they are in it from the moment it’s open until the moment it closes.

Back in August we took a trip to the Poconos.

We had an AWESOME time.

The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there, and it was just beautiful in general.

Of all the kids, Gretchen probably loves summer the most.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

This past weekend we had really nice weather here in CT.

Summer held on for one more week.

I know this post is all over the place, but I’m getting to my point very soon.

So this past weekend it was really nice and we haven’t closed the pool yet because I always hold out for that one last weekend in late September or early October that is inevitably nice here in New England.

And that weekend was this past weekend.

The kids were swimming and playing cornhole.

It was nice.

And kind of sad.

Fall in Connecticut is beautiful, but I love summer so much.

So fall is always a little bit depressing to me.

I’m learning to embrace it as I get older, but there is still a big part of my insides that gets really, really sad when summer is officially over.

And Gretchen feels the same way.

“Mom, I don’t want summer to be over,” she said to me on Saturday.

“ME EITHER,” I told her.

“I really should have appreciated the Poconos more when we were there,” she said. “I didn’t realize how lucky we were until now.”

Whoa.

A moment of awareness and enlightenment from an eleven-year-old.

And a big reminder.

I know it’s a pandemic still and things are up in the air and school sucks and life is harder than normal and not knowing what the fork is going on living in this haze of indefinite uncertainty totally blows.

Even during all that, there is still a lot we take for granted.

Sometimes you are swimming in a garbage can.

Sometimes you are swimming in a pool.

Sometimes you are swimming in a beautiful lake.

Sometimes you aren’t swimming at all.

But you are in school with your friends and not wearing a mask.

Sometimes things are really really awesome.

Sometimes they aren’t.

But even in the not-so-awesome times, there are still some bright spots.

So take a moment tonight and just pay attention to where you are right this second.

I know life may not be perfect or ideal or even close to where you want it to be.

I KNOW.

My life is nowhere near where I want it to be right now.

But there are still some bright spots.

There always are.

There is always something we are taking for granted.

I mean, I bet you have power now, right?

It could be worse.

It really could. 

Sometimes we forget.

And sometimes the Universe sends your eleven-year-old to remind you of that.

 

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