Simple was perfect.
This weekend, we did nothing in particular, and it was just right. Life was in balance.
We did some shopping for the kids's school clothes. We talked about native plants in our garden.
We rented Some Like It Hot, and made simple dishes at home and we tended our new growing lawn of green.
Why did we pick this movie for our "Girls Night In?"
Watching this movie with my daughters was a great opportunity to discuss how men and women are treated differently in society.
It had plenty of laughs for the kids and the clever dialogue kept, me, as a grown up quite entertained and moved without having to traumatize the kids with the more complex and cynical subtext of the film. It was a good choice for me because I've been wanted to show them the older films that rely on talent of the performers to entertain. It was wonderful to show them that a great scene is shot without a laugh track or any manipulative music and even without color and can be so much more magical and haunting than the junk that passes for entertainment these days. Also, it was a great way to learn about gender and power and how people see each other.
Also, growing a new lawn requires lots of watering, but instead of fighting this, we just hung out while doing this twice a day and chatted as we coated our new garden with a gentle soakings of water.
We caught up on homework and rest and laundry and at the end of our long, long spring break, we spent the day at Sunset Beach.
I watch daughter #1 attack the surf with a gusto and daughter #2 dance in the sea foam. They were delighting in the day.
I watch kids laugh at nothing and find shells and dance with sheer joy at being free and young and enjoying each moment as it blissfully unfurled. Remember when you wanted to be in the waves so badly you didn't even notice it was cold? That's what I mean. Kids who are genuinely passionate about the simple joys. I feel ashamed for my cynical side around that kind of appreciation of life. It's a lesson for me.
There was no rushing, or expectation of anything extraordinary, just peace and easiness and contentment. I didn't bother to bring a book or a magazine or any other distractions. Just my beach towel under my "Brattleboro, Vermont" baseball cap and breathing in all that clean salt air.
I wanted to sit there and watch the waves break on the sand and take it all in. I wanted nothing more than to "be here now."
As we ended our day at the beach and make our way home from Pacific Coast Highway, daughter #1 hugged me and said "this was the best weekend of my life."
And I said, "Really? That's so good. Because making sure you guys have memories like this is the most important achievement I can think of."
And the best part? I meant it.
It was so simple and right and peaceful.
Less really is more.
We did some shopping for the kids's school clothes. We talked about native plants in our garden.
We rented Some Like It Hot, and made simple dishes at home and we tended our new growing lawn of green.
Why did we pick this movie for our "Girls Night In?"Watching this movie with my daughters was a great opportunity to discuss how men and women are treated differently in society.
It had plenty of laughs for the kids and the clever dialogue kept, me, as a grown up quite entertained and moved without having to traumatize the kids with the more complex and cynical subtext of the film. It was a good choice for me because I've been wanted to show them the older films that rely on talent of the performers to entertain. It was wonderful to show them that a great scene is shot without a laugh track or any manipulative music and even without color and can be so much more magical and haunting than the junk that passes for entertainment these days. Also, it was a great way to learn about gender and power and how people see each other.
Also, growing a new lawn requires lots of watering, but instead of fighting this, we just hung out while doing this twice a day and chatted as we coated our new garden with a gentle soakings of water.
We caught up on homework and rest and laundry and at the end of our long, long spring break, we spent the day at Sunset Beach.
I watch daughter #1 attack the surf with a gusto and daughter #2 dance in the sea foam. They were delighting in the day.
I watch kids laugh at nothing and find shells and dance with sheer joy at being free and young and enjoying each moment as it blissfully unfurled. Remember when you wanted to be in the waves so badly you didn't even notice it was cold? That's what I mean. Kids who are genuinely passionate about the simple joys. I feel ashamed for my cynical side around that kind of appreciation of life. It's a lesson for me.
There was no rushing, or expectation of anything extraordinary, just peace and easiness and contentment. I didn't bother to bring a book or a magazine or any other distractions. Just my beach towel under my "Brattleboro, Vermont" baseball cap and breathing in all that clean salt air.
I wanted to sit there and watch the waves break on the sand and take it all in. I wanted nothing more than to "be here now."
As we ended our day at the beach and make our way home from Pacific Coast Highway, daughter #1 hugged me and said "this was the best weekend of my life."
And I said, "Really? That's so good. Because making sure you guys have memories like this is the most important achievement I can think of."
And the best part? I meant it.
It was so simple and right and peaceful.
Less really is more.
Comments