Nothing Good Gets Away

Tonight as I was rocking you, it hit me...just how much life you have ahead of you.

It hit me that you still have to learn how to tie your shoes and zip up your jacket.

It hit me that you still get to feel that excitement mixed with nerves before your very first day of school.

It hit me that you still get to try hundreds of new foods for the first time and see hundreds of places for the first time and hear hundreds of new songs for the first time.

"Can we turn the Beatles on?" you asked at dinner tonight.

"The needle scratching the record is one of my favorite sounds," I told you.

"Mine too," you said before running outside to play in the sprinkler.

It hit me that one day you would experience the heartache of losing a dog. And we know Myles is getting close. I can hear his labored breathing as I write this.

It hit me that you would still get the butterflies during your first real crush and experience the pain when she maybe decides she doesn't like you back.

It hit me you still don't know how it feels to lose another human being when it is their time to depart this earth.

And just as Steinbeck wrote on November 10, 1958 to his son many years ago:

"...Don't worry about losing. If it is right, it happens-The main thing is not to hurry. Nothing good gets away."



 

Pot Hack

We had some leftover plants this weekend and no extra pots. 

A little spray paint turned these plastic pots into temporary planters with very little work. Ideally, a little color would have been nice, but use what you've got. And be careful not to spray the plant. 

Happy Potting.  

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Look For the Sunshine

My Dear Sweet Boy,

It is inevitable. Some days many days from now, it will happen. Harder days will come. And as you sit in your room with your pillow pulled tightly over your head sobbing into a pillow, I want you to believe...

It will be ok.

I want you to fight for a good night's sleep. I want you to eat well. I want you to take care of yourself in these moments. I want you to go outside and stare at a tree and see the beauty. I want you take a walk. And if you need to cry, if you need to show emotion, I want you to do that. I want you to let the salty rainfall pour down your face until there are no tears left.

And I want you to pick up the phone and call me. I promise to listen. I promise not to judge. I promise to keep an open heart and an open mind.

I love you with every ounce of my soul on the good days and the hard days.

Mom

My Wish For You

I want you to get to know the ocean. To feel the sand sink as the waves crash into your ankles. I want you to explore the mystery, the endless sea. I want you to sit on the ocean and take in the breeze and appreciate the simple things.

I want you to find peace in nature on a walk alone. I want you to explore the doubts in your head, but speak kindly to yourself. I want you to enjoy the rain and the way it feels on landing lightly on your face.

I want you to believe in the overarching theory that life is good and that happiness is the simple act of repeating the things that bring you joy over and over and over again.

Like a simple bike ride and the way the world pauses.

Like a hike by a river or a run by a lake.

Like sitting in the backyard and letting the sun hit your face.

Like live music in a quaint coffee shop surrounded by the dreamers. 

I want you to find out what you are most passionate about and pursue it with intention and belief and every piece of energy you can muster up until you've made it and then I want you to pursue it again.

I want you to see people when they need you, to recognize when to reach a helping hand and when to not.

I want you to believe in goodness.

I want you to get your heart broken but only once and be gentle when you're the one doing the breaking.

I want you to see the beauty in the world like the way the sun hits a tree just before sunset.

But above all else, I want you to be happy.

Just happy.