We were just getting settled in at our friends’ apartment. I was exhausted, hot, and hungry.
Suddenly his words called with such urgency.
Mama! Mama! Come see! They have a telescope — in their door!
He was standing on a step stool; totally engrossed in the scene he could see through the door.
He smiled proudly as he showed me what he had discovered.
And in that moment I felt myself loosen and begin to unwind from all the details and coordinating of the previous days and hours…
…end of school year activities
…birthday parties
…tying up loose ends at work
…packing enough (but not too much)
…catching a train
…learning (via text-coaching!!) how to hail a taxi – thank you, Jeanine!
…arriving in a city I do not know (at all) with two children, three backpacks and an address scribbled on a piece of paper
…narrowly averting (or breathing through) a half-dozen meltdowns
It all slipped away as we took turns looking through the round hole in the door; savoring a world that was brand new to both of us.
I tried throughout the rest of the trip (though I often fell short) to be in the moment and see through new eyes.
It was a beautiful and soul-nourishing weekend.
And as we settle back in to home I am finding myself looking around and seeing my everyday world in a whole new way.
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[ See more photos on my flickr. ]
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Those may be some of my fav photos you have ever taken. Love them. I feel the same way about NYC, as I spend more time there it continues to teach me so much.
Hannah Marcotti´s last blog ..Hey Gorgeous, Don’t be Sorry!
awww…thanks, hannah. i love these photos a lot too. it was a really special weekend.
I love your end of school year tradition of exploring a new place with your children. Looks like you had a great time! Next year, may I suggest Portland, ME? It’s such a beautiful place. I can’t wait to go there this year.
thanks, renee. we’ve never been there but i’ve heard it is beautiful.
I really love this Erin and what strikes me is I feel like we’ve had this conversation, this realization, many times over the years and yet when I sit here reading I find myself awakened and inspired.
xoxoxo
Hillary
i know, hillary.
i was just saying this to john the other day. sometimes i feel like i write the same blog post 100 different ways.
step back. take a breath. see the larger picture.
and yet somehow i need to keep coming back and revisiting this lesson over and over and over.
Lovely. Your photos *and* your words.
Rose´s last blog ..making me happy
thanks, rose!!
Oh, what fun! Adventures can be so releasing and so hard that the same time. Especially those that take place in the transition between school and summer break!
Nicola @ Which Name?´s last blog ..granite
yes. that transition space is tricky, isn’t it?
that’s actually what i’m writing about this week in my {breathing space} — it will be arriving in in-boxes tomorrow!!
just a little plug (’cause it’s my blog and i can do that ;-) if anyone is not subscribed and wants to be, you can do so right up on the top left of this page! ;-)
What an adventure you were able to have…sounds wonderful! I loved the first photo — and then loved each subsequent one more and more — wonderful scenes you have captured!
So glad to hear that it has helped you to have new eyes!
Claudine´s last blog ..goodness
thank you very much, claudine!! i appreciate you stopping by!
I grew up in a city apartment with a “telescope” in the door – it was fun:) I’ve often traveled alone with small children, and I know how nourishing, and how exhausting it can be.
Francesca´s last blog ..Coton, lin et Liberty
i hear you, francesca.
in fact, i’m going to talk about the ‘exhausting’ part of traveling and caring for little ones in my sunday still life this week.
Definitely feeling restless of late. Being the second year here I have grown a bit more used to folks being in summer mode when we are in winter but I have to say even with a mild winter here the months still don’t match for me:) The boys have ‘winter break’ the last two weeks in July.
We are looking at our re-entry to the states May/June of next year but the planning continues to tug at me, not just the logistic physical details but the ability to carry on with the beautiful lessons of becoming a cohesive family once we are back where in the hustle bustle of family, friends, school, life going on and pulling us from many different directions. Yesterday I was contemplating what our home with older boys will look like. What will ground us as these strong willed boys press outward into the world? We have always struggled with being the place to stop in and say hello. We are a social bunch but have learned through our time of somewhat more isolation here the preciousness of our time together as a family. Thanks for creating the space to share.
Ah, the joys of exploring a new place! A delight to read, see and feel Erin.