Happiness.
It comes in the smallest of form,
and is quite unexpected at times.
For the past few years,
our evening walks
have brought me such joy.
When the sun goes down, and the weather cools off,
my husband, and the kids and I throw on our tennis shoes
and venture out on our walk.
We’ve been doing it for nearly 3 years now.
Only breaking for the 3 months of summer when the heat is too much to bear.
Last year, our youngest, had to be forced to walk on the days that her older siblings were not home to watch her.
She complained about having to walk when all she really wanted to do was sit at home, eat a snack and watch some i-Carly before bed.
We made her come anyway, and my husband compromised by pulling her in the little red wagon.
This year, she has not complained once or mentioned the wagon at all.
In fact, these days she can be found running ahead of us all.
The other night my husband and I were laughing as we watched her skipping ahead, wearing her little summer shorts, and her sisters hand-me-down tennis shoes as her frizzy end-of-day curls bounced along with her.
We were proud of the change.
We were happy to see her happiness.
Our other daughter, who for the last two years has been in the lead, takes her time this year. She walks at the same pace as her dad and I.
She still gets excited when she sees a cricket in front of us, yelling to be sure that we do not step on it and she will jump on a big boulder on occasion, but it is nothing like it was the previous years.
She is growing and changing.
What a difference a year has made in both of the girls!
In the three ((fast years)) that we have lived here together we have made some nice little memories in this neighborhood.
I can remember taking an afternoon walk with Trinity my first year here. I wasn’t used to such an active outdoorsy kind of kid, but I tried to keep up and make it interesting for her. On one of our walks, when it was just the two of us, I surprised her by running through the park sprinklers. She joined me for a few minutes and we ended up back at home giggling and soaking wet.
I can remember waking up early with her during that first summer break. We’d take a quick walk and then we would both slip into our bathing suits for an early morning swim while the rest of the kids slept in.
I can remember driving Issac to birthday parties and dropping his friend’s off at home after school as the smell of sweaty boys after track and football practice lingered in the car.
And snapping pictures of Jocelyn as she led our little dog Cimba along on his leash, as we walked on the trails watching the hot air balloons lift off a few miles away.
But my favorite memories are during the holidays, when we drink hot cocoa and walk through the neighborhood admiring our neighbors’ Christmas lights.
I am so glad it is that time of year again.
I enjoy our neighborhood walks for many reasons,
-but mostly because –
it is a time when my husband and I can always count on the kids to make us laugh,
especially those moments that they are bouncing ahead and unknowingly cause us to smile and wink at each other.
One with a head full of frizzy curls, smiling cheek to cheek and the other frantically attempting to save every creepy crawly she finds in sight.
Happiness.
It really is found when we appreciate the *little* things.
