Today feels beautifully normal. It is a Sunday in March of 2021. We slept late, and then we made breakfast tacos for brunch. Then Brainy Bird went to run some errands for me; Little Chirp went outside to play basketball, and I got some stuff done for work. This weekend is the first time that Brainy Bird and I have had any free time. Having some downtime feels amazing.
Once I was done with work, I took Potatoe for a long walk. I spent a good bit of time talking to neighbors as I passed by. Everyone is upbeat and hopeful, a stark contrast to this time last year. It felt so good to be out on a walk and not in a hurry. My neighborhood and the section of Lakewood Forest that surrounds my neighborhood is filled with amazing people. They all dote on Potatoe, which is an added bonus.
I returned from my walk to find Brainy Bird still out running errands and Little Chirp still playing basketball. Brainy Bird is now hanging out with friends, and Little Chirp is still playing basketball. The weather is just incredible today, and Little Chirp is enjoying every minute of it.
I am looking forward to going for a long run in just a bit. Then I am going to sit in my backyard and work on my book. This is the way that Sundays should be spent.
I am working on losing weight, and I am tracking my calorie intake. This is eye opening. It is amazing how easy it is to eat/drink way more than 2,000 calories in a day. I am making a vegetable soup and a modified spaghetti pie for dinner. I am subbing ground turkey for the ground beef, and zucchini noodles for the pasta. Even with the modifications, the recipe is about 400 calories per serving. Cheese is a diet killer, but it is so tasty.
It is now day 3 of the March madness tournament. Number 8 seed Loyola Chicago is about to upset Number 1 seed Illinois. They are up by 9 with just a little over two minutes to go. I am always all for an upset, but I am especially hoping that this upset happens, partly because I love Sister Jean, but mostly because the elimination of a number 1 seed further paves the way for the Houston Cougars. The Cougars play Rutgers later on today.
This is going to be a busy work. As of right now, I plan to go to my client’s office every day this week. That means more than two hours a day in the car. It also means getting out of the house, which I believe to be healthy. It is time to break out the Audible books. Little Chirp will be in charge of dinner each night. Brainy Bird has started a new project, and he has robotics after school everyday.
On a kid front, we have agreed to no college talk for the week. It is tempting to continually over analyze all of Brainy Bird’s options. It is exciting and a bit overwhelming to have so many incredible options. This week, we simply wait. There are a few colleges that have not yet sent their admissions decisions, and Brainy Bird is waiting on major decisions on the scholarship front, which he will not have until April. I know what his first choice is, and I believe he is going to get it as it was down to one final interview last week, but he does not want to celebrate or think too much about it until it is official.
This means that our energy has shifted to Little Chirp. Little Chirp made us laugh nonstop at dinner on Friday. Little Chirp has a unique gift of being able to carry on an engaging conversation about virtually anything, or nothing depending on your perspective. At dinner we were talking about what it is like to be a counselor at Slumber Falls, which is one of Brainy Bird’s favorite summer activities. Brainy Bird explained that he loves it because a week of being “unplugged” in an environment where all are given a sense of acceptance is extremely important for one’s mental health and spiritual growth.
Little Chirp then asked if some of the little kids at camp start to get on the nerves of counselors sometimes. Brainy Bird’s response was that there is always that camper that drives one up a wall, and his biggest thing is the camper that repeatedly asks the same question. Little Chirp then asked if some of the little kids at camp start to get on the nerves of counselors sometimes, rephrasing the question slightly. Brainy Bird then answered again. Little Chirp then said, “So, sometimes little kids annoy you by asking the same question again?” Brainy Bird looked exasperated for a second, and then he realized Little Chirp was intentionally being an annoying little kid by asking the same question again and again.
By the time the conversation was done, Little Chirp had Brainy Bird laughing along with the entire table behind us laughing and our waiter laughing. It feels good to be laughing again. It feels good to be dining out as a family again. Eating a meal that we did not cook ourselves is still a very special treat post-COVID.
I am going to log out now and go check on Little Chirp. At some point, I am going to have to tell the little fair headed child that he has had enough sun, and he needs to find something else to do besides playing basketball. My guess is he is going to want to go for a cold swim. Our pool is shaded this time of the day, but the water is going to be ice cold. Some how that makes it fun for Little Chirp.
It is the little things in life…