That's How We Roll

Have you ever heard the phrase, 'window of opportunity'? It's how we live these days and I have never understood it more fully. Our windows leave things undone all over; laundry here, dishes there, a dirty toilet yonder still, spotty windows here and there. I love windows, dirty spotty windows. What's life if not to live; and leave spots.

Situation: Malachi needs pro-biotics, been out for almost a week, seriously effects his digestive process, need is an understatement. Health food store for procuring said item, Belgium. Hours of said health food store, random. Randomness working into our life at the moment, not so much a fit.

Decision: We just gotta go for it.

Predicament: Read previous 5 million posts about Hirschsprung's Disease. (no wonder my children exaggerate)

Decision 2: We just gotta go for it.

The light bulb goes off in my head. I take a deep breath and center myself in all things good. Yep, he's fed, irrigated, done burping and spitting up, and what's that? We have an entire hour and 15 minutes until the next bottle. Hold your horses momma, tis not true. Oh yes it is!

Kids we've got to go, get socks and shoes and loaded in the van, hurry! 4 supremely obedient little angels jump to it and are in the van before I have Malachi loaded and ready to go. Big mommy smile, really big.

The note on the health food store says they will open in 4 minutes. The fine print says, 'call to confirm hours we might be running late.' I know this fine print to be more representative of enormous print, not so much small. I say 'bummer' and have a millisecond of 'oh no what to do now'. The park. The park is just down the street, we still have 55 minutes. At least we will get a park outing in, even if the health food store is a bust.

The children are overjoyed. They run to take full advantage of whatever time their might be. Malachi and I join them and he gets his first swing ride. The swing just so happens to be situated low enough so that his little feet can dig in the sand and explore; they make terrifically beautiful baby toe drag marks as he giggles with the wind. His siblings just can't stay away and they come to join him in this moment of firsts. More big happy momma smiles.

They, flip, climb, run, teeter and totter, swing, slide, and hide. Malachi is done. I get him loaded while the others enjoy their time. I honk the horn. Instantaneously, absolutely instantaneously, 4 amazing children stop, run, grab their shoes, and are in the van. The biggest momma smile you ever did see, coming straight from my heart.

Hugs, smiles, and praise for my little ones. Gigantic happy children smiles, gigantic.

The OPEN sign is lit. Pro-biotics, check. Spry gum with xylitol, check (mommy treat). 4 organic lollipops in luscious flavors, check (obedient children treat). Slurpy, drippy, sticky, drooly, sounds from children that understand completely how happy this momma is to see them come running (another mommy treat, the best mommy treat).

Sleeping baby, hungry children, dirty van. Really dirty van. Car wash on the way to Taco Bell. sweet corn truck in the Dairy Queen parking lot on the way home. 4 happy children buying fresh yummy corn for dinner and placing tip money for tuition in the sweet sweet corn lady's so labeled ice cream bucket.

Clean van, smiling faces, making new friends, enjoying new experiences, happy tongues that know obedience, food to hand out that won't create a single dirty dish, still sleeping baby, home just seconds away. Paradise.

Quiet mouths chewing, chomping. Baby eating peacefully. Dirty sandy toes leaking on the couch and carpet. Blessed sand, leave your mark. Make your spots.

What a fabulous window. We get them often. We just have no idea when they'll be. We find ourselves living at the ready. I love windows. Especially ones with spots on them.

Spots of Time

There are in our existence spots of time,

That with distinct pre-eminence retain

A renovating virtue, whence–depressed

By false opinion and contentious thought,

Or aught of heavier or more deadly weight,

In trivial occupations, and the round

Of ordinary intercourse–our minds

Are nourished and invisibly repaired;

A virtue, by which pleasure is enhanced,

That penetrates, enables us to mount,

When high, more high, and lifts us up when fallen.

- William Wordsworth