Before I begin this post, I’d like to preface it with a disclaimer. I am doing another escape night at my mom’s house where I planned to write this post. However, in a mad dash to get out of the house, I forgot my laptop. There was no way in hell I was going back for it. It was a struggle to get out the door. You would think I was going halfway across the world for six months the way they carried on about me skipping out for one night.
Sure, I could just not post today. But I am an all or nothing kinda girl, plus obviously a little OCD and I just can’t bring myself to skip. So this entire post is being dictated into my phone. I’ll try to proof it, but if you see something like weiner instead of wine, you’ll understand why. (Side note: this actually happened once and the context in which it was written from one member of my family to the other was hilarious. I can’t go into further details to protect the guilty.)
So without further ado...
Today I realized that exactly half my family is certifiably insane. Yesterday, despite torrential rain, we opened our pool, a good three weeks earlier than usual, but we figured it would give the kids something to do and we would just crank the heat. This morning we woke to a cloudless sky. Our pool company vacuumed the pool in record time and the kids were chomping at the bit. The water temperature was 50° and while we turned the heat on, it takes ages for a pool to actually warm up, particularly when the air temperature is barely 60°! That didn’t stop them though. Kaleb jumped in before I could even get my camera out. Paige followed suit and James, in a moment of pure insanity, jumped off the diving board fully clothed. Since Cynthia made it halfway in, that accounts for exactly half the family. Total nutcases.
For those of you who don’t live in New England let me paint a picture for you. It was cold enough that I was wearing a hoodie and leggings and still a bit chilly. How they didn’t get hypothermia I have no idea. They didn’t stay in long but Paige and Kaleb went back for seconds later in the afternoon.
Of course their hypothermic state cost us about an entire mortgage payment in hot water that was used in our outdoor shower this afternoon. And I couldn’t escape the request for hot chocolate which is their go-to whenever they get cold. I despise hot chocolate. And those stupid little marshmallow packets that come with it. They never even finish it. Still, I was in such a good mood that I served it with a smile.
For the first time in forever, I forgot about the state of the world for just a little while. It felt like an exciting day… something we haven’t experienced in so long. I’m hoping the warmer weather will bring more of these days and that the thrill of the pool doesn’t get old too quickly.
I hope I’m not the only one who felt the magic of this spring day. I hope there are many more to come. I hope that there is an end in sight even if it means taking baby steps to get there. I hope to see the kids splashing in the pool with their friends as I had envisioned when we bought our house. I hope for life to feel normal again. I hope. (Confession: Last line stolen from Shawshank Redemption… my favorite movie of all time.)