In between the moments when life is happening
The striving, the working
The bill-paying, the laundry-doing
Oh, the endless climbing piles of laundry-doing
The chopping, the wiping, the walking of children to school
The merciless measurement of what others are doing:
Succeeding, writing, publishing
Curing, achieving, winning, starring
The being too hard on myself
The dropping into dream-ridden sleep
The regretting, the missing, the disdaining, the bitterness-holding
The TV-watching, the reading, the exercising, the leaf-eating
In between all of those things, there are moments like last Thursday’s at the beach
When three small children and two mothers strolled the sandy coastline or climbed the rocky cliffs or plunged into the foamy surf.
We were friends, and we were together, and we changed the children’s clothes when we got back to the car so they wouldn’t have to ride home wet and sandy.
At the end, a glass of wine, a hot dinner, and falling asleep in a pile on the couch.
That was living.
Indeed 🙂
Thanks for reading, Lisa!
I love moments like those. The moments that are meant to be.
So true! And sad that I often don’t think about how lovely those lovely moments are until years later. Working on appreciating the present. Thank you for the reminder!
Donna recently posted…Taking a Los Angeles Food Tour: A World of Exotic Cuisines Right Here
That was beautiful. And poetic.
Not because you capitalized the beginning of each line and didn’t include punctuation until the last lines (which of course would be appropriate) but because you got right inside the images and emotions in my head.
Then wrote them better than I could.
I love this. (Or LUV it. Since you got comment luv, you know.)
Tricia and Donna – yes, it is hard to keep those moments in hand. I am grateful that the computer was nearby so I could write these words down when they came out as I was sorting, what else, laundry?
Julie – thank you for that lovely comment. I am glad my use of punctuation was notable!
Amen!
I love this so much. Yes, that IS living Kim. Living large if you ask me.
Charlene Ross recently posted…The #1 Reason Getting Old Sucks
Glad you’re enjoying moments like this. Poignant and beautifully written piece, Kim!
There is something about the beach that just brings the essence of living into focus. You don’t need much – no electronics, no high heels … fancy hairdos won’t work there. Sand, water, wind, rocks, sticks …. what more do you need? And it works with family/friends or in solitude. Love the beach – glad you do, too.
Yes, and I am planning a solo trip for calming down purposes very soon! Thanks for reading, ladies!