Average family moments are so under rated.
Today was a classic Sunday, long phone calls to my family abroad, smoothie making with A, and cutting B’s hair. Yesterday I didn’t cut enough off, so today was Take Two, The Final Cut, literally. While A makes her version of a healthy smoothie (mint choc chip) she asks, sincerely, where the ice in the ice machine comes from.
“The ice tray is empty at night, then in the morning, it’s full of ice. Like magic!”
D and I exchange glances, then laugh, affectionately. It’s endearing that she doesn’t know. A has always been the kind of child that thinks things magically unfold around her. Food just appears, bills just get paid, flights just get booked, Santa Claus is real. We live an enchanting life where stuff just gets done.
“It’s the ice fairies,” says D. “They come at night and fill the ice tray. They also clean away your dirty cups and dishes while you sleep.”
I spend most of the afternoon drawing a palm tree with a pencil, it is highly therapeutic, almost meditative. I might take this exercise up as a daily ritual, after morning meditation, then float to work on a lotus leaf.
D finds the time for at least two nod-offs throughout the day. The dog lies on the couch and fends off any cats that may consider stealing attention. A and I bake cookies. The kids clean their bathrooms. We all do the laundry, we listen to music, we walk the dog. We count starfish in the shallows, see two stingray swim by, and a several crane feeding on hermit crabs. The evening sky is a blend of muted creamy colors, that fade to violet over an hour. A is taking photos of her cat sat on a mountain of clean bedding. B, D and I watch the spectacular sky, and discuss the likelihood that Baby Yoda was in fact an immaculate conception
I also find the time to finalize photos of Ben’s 18 years, condensed into 4 minutes of video.
“What’s changed from the version we watched on my birthday?” asks B.
“I adjusted the audio, and popped in some extra photos from our Disney trip last Christmas. I added the one where you stand in front of the Animal Kingdom sign, and your head covers the i and the m, so that it reads “Anal Kingdom,” I tell him. “ But I don’t think anyone will notice.”
Average family moments are so under rated.
good night.
