Counting Syllables

Yesterday we went on a Family Adventure to celebrate the light that is our Princess. She is about to enter the double digits, and that is worth a special day of happy happy joy joy just for her.

I was eager and excited to make it happen. And thrilled to plan the surprise.

But when it comes down to leaving home and being okay with it, sometimes I struggle just a little bit.

This coming from the girl who once packed up and moved away to Japan with the Fella and my Aub.

I don’t know if this struggle is in part due to the grief cycle or if it’s just my genetics coming out in me big time.

But leaving home can bring me a little stress.

The day was totally worth working through it though, and then…..we got back in the vehicle and prepared to head home.

Thank goodness the Fella was driving.

Bless him. I’m not a good passenger. Apparently I have turned into my Mama with my driver’s side brakes and gasps for sound effects that make a trip really fun.

Yeah. Bless his heart.

Because this happened. And Anxiety Girl climbed in the vehicle and sat all buckled right there in the front seat with me.

On the way home from Atlanta. The interstate became a parking lot.

That right there. Parking lots on the interstate. People merging. Without turn signals or advance warning. Brake lights for miles. A big reason I don’t like leaving home. Things like that. And then Anxiety Girl starts thinking about Miss Sophie at the house and worrying about her and what if we had an accident and what would happen and…..

I decided to try to work through some of the stress by counting…..

syllables.

And so this was my haiku for our trip home last night.

ambulance lights pass

all I think is don’t let that

be us, please slow down

This was when the parking lot turned into “stop and go and stop and go fast, wait, no, stop” traffic.

Poor Fella.

But working on the haiku did help, and I’m sure he was relieved that I wasn’t co-driving for those few minutes.

Tonight I’m thankful for adventures (more on that later), and for a little girl who will wake up tomorrow as a pre-teen (!!!!!), and for a mischievous little guy who just came in to say goodnight and said, after he found out his sister is already in the bed, “Maybe I need to go bother her for the last time that’s she still nine.” Oh me. I am grateful for the Fella who is willing to drive any distance to make adventures happen and bring joy to his family. Most of all, I give thanks for a safe journey there and back with all my people from oldest to youngest tucked in close beside me. Except for Anxiety Girl. She really wasn’t invited. I wish her people would talk to her about not just honing in on other folks’ adventures.

Wishing you all a traffic-free day for adventures.

Love to all.