It’s The Little Things, Isn’t It?

When the school year started, I wasn’t sure if I would like walking the kids to and from school every. single. day. It sounded nice in theory: quality time with them, fresh air, a little exercise. But doing it four times a day (since the boys get out at different times) seemed like it would get a little…repetitive? Monotonous? And what about when it rained or snowed?

I used to walk our oldest to school over a year ago before he did virtual learning for Kindergarten and I remember loving it, especially when the weather was nice. But four times a day? I had my hesitations. 

But now it’s about three weeks in and I. love. it. It’s become one of my favorite parts of the day. The walks to school in the morning with the boys (and sis if she feels like tagging along) have become part of our routine as a family and something I now look forward to doing.

In the mornings, we talk about school and what they’re going to eat for lunch. We talk about new friends they’ve made and their teachers. Right now their favorite thing to do is to try and find bugs on the sidewalk and shriek when they actually do (most of the time they think they see one but it’s actually just a piece of mud). Last week there was a grasshopper that our oldest found that looked like a leaf, and he told me all about how they camouflage to protect themselves from predators who might want to eat them. Isn’t that so cute?

He gets so excited about insects and bugs that he almost can’t control himself, and he’ll say things like, “My heart is beating so fast right now and I am shaking”. So cute. Lately they’ve been finding dead cicadas on the sidewalk and they think they’re the coolest things ever. Me, not so much.

On the way home, they tell me about their days and what they learned. It’s like for a few minutes a day, it’s just them and us in the world and we get to hear about the good, the bad and the fun they had during their few hours at school. They tell me what they had for lunch and if they liked it or not. They sing me songs they learned from their teacher. They tell me their friends’ names and always get so excited when they’ve made a new one. They carry their backpacks home with pride as they skip out the school doors. There’s nothing in younger brother’s at the moment, but that doesn’t stop him from holding onto it for dear life on the way home.

I just got back from walking them to school this morning and, after all the rain we’ve been having, the air was cool, crisp, and refreshing. It felt like fall. I’m already getting excited for our walks to and from school in a few weeks; seeing the leaves change and fall to the ground, wearing layers to stay warm. Little things to get excited about.

Speaking of little things, I didn’t mean to write as much as I did on this post, but I suppose I feel very strongly lately about appreciating the little moments in life that bring joy. You know, the ones you don’t really even think about too often because you’re too busy or you have a million things on your mind, but when you take time and actually do think about them, you realize they might be more important than they first appear. They might equate to the big moments that mean something and add up to a life of wholeness.

Yes, it really is the little things. But, maybe, they’re not so little after all.