A month or so ago, on a Friday, I had had quite a challenging day. When school was out, I picked the kids up & decided that even though early, we were heading to Chili's to just chill out (& so I could drink unlimited amounts of Diet Coke, but I didn't tell them that). I called my husband & told him my plan - my husband can pretty much make his own hours & it was Friday, so he told me he'd meet us there as soon as he could slip away. His office is a good 40 minutes or more away in Friday afternoon traffic, so I knew we would be there for a while. We ordered chips, queso & drinks, & let the afternoon drift away while we sat in a corner just being together, doing a lot of nothing.
Since then, I've repeated our little escape a time or two. Yesterday, as a matter of fact. As I sat there in the large corner booth, having an in-depth conversation with my 8 year old about a series of books he's interested in, I realized how very much I love our Chili dates. Early afternoon, the restaurant is quiet. No cartoons blaring, no phone ringing, no computer, no homework, no piano, no french horn, no loud pots & pans prepping for dinner, no dogs running amok, just us. Talking. Laughing. Sharing. Tic-tac-toe'ing. Listening. Enjoying. Yesterday, I recognized the fact that there are not near enough of these amazing, simple moments. 'Busy' has become our normal. My kids are growing very quickly. Time is fleeting. And I truly feel they need & desire our little dates as much as I do.
It's a true blessing what developed out of an exhausting, challenging day. And tonight, I'm truly, very thankful, for the simple. ♥
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