How Do You Drive?

Tue, Jul 15, 2008

Summer holidays around here means a lot of driving along beautifully treed, twisty and hilly back roads in the country to chauffeur one or the other of my kids around.

My son has his driver's license now, so the hours of the past summer's spent driving him to work and teaching him how to drive are over.

This summer I find myself driving my oldest daughter to her friends houses and my youngest to the beach, with a trip to town first to pick up her friends, at age 10, it just isn't fun… or cool anymore to go to the beach alone with your mom.

EVERY YEAR WE GET OLDER

As every year we all get older, I realize that some of my most precious quality time, and most interesting conversations have taken place while rolling along the back roads.

As I was driving home tonight from dropping my oldest daughter off, my youngest being at nana and papa's house, my son at the movies, I realized that even though I had a list of things I wanted to do, I wasn't rushing.

I wasn't trying to fit a square peg into a round hole by playing beat the clock – against all odds.

Actually, I was in perfect awe of the beauty around me and completely content in the moment.

I was taking my time and loving every minute of it.

I find myself doing a lot of that lately.

I CALL IT BEING TICKLED

That little tickle in the solar plexus that replaces the elephant stampede that used to be there.

It makes me smile and do a little happy dance sometimes when I'm walking up the driveway, bare feet and arms spread wide. I'm sure my kids think I'm a lunatic.

They'll be old(er) some day.

I hope that they remember to feel joy and a tickle too. And that they're kids think they're nuts.