September 20, 2025
Oh my goodness this past week was a lot – from pretty much every angle. I'm glad that I decided not to summarize what I've been doing during the week and am instead focusing on breaks. I'm going to broaden this to breaks and delights – basically the things that are keeping me going. Yes, let's revisit and spend some time with those because most of our time goes to dealing with problems and whatever is breaking down / breaking us down.
I watched a bunch of soccer – some full games, some extracts – of Premier League and Champions League, and I even managed not to multitask during some of them. Usually I have my laptop open with a game on in the background, but I'm trying to do less of this.
M played on a full-sized field for the first time ever, which was bananas to watch. They played 11 v 11. Given their ages, the games are still shorter – 30 minute halves not 45 minutes – but my goodness the running.
Afterward, we all went out to a local, seasonal ice cream stand for ice cream. This felt summery and good.
I crocheted another Wooble! This one was for A, who loves foxes.
During soccer practices, I've been sitting outside reading Swann's Way, my current slow read. Sometimes I watch the kids play. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I chat with another parent. Every time, I enjoy the weather we've been having lately and the sun while it's still late summer / early fall. The longer nights are already sneaking up on us.
M decided to read Le Petit Prince at long last, and I pulled out my ancient copy and have been reading along. This is also a slow read – only a few pages per night. It's been fun to revisit and to read something along with the kiddo.
And yesterday a neighbor texted during the work day to see if any of us who work from home wanted to get together for a walk. I scheduled my lunch break accordingly, and three of us went for an early afternoon walk. The day was gorgeous, and the company was excellent.
In the evening, another neighbor hosted an outdoor children's movie night in her driveway. They rigged up a screen against their house and set up a projector and speakers. I was so exhausted that I almost backed out, but I'm really glad we all went – it was a fun way to end the week. There were a lot of little ones, and their full body belly laughs made me laugh, too.
