Why are titles so hard?

I want so badly to be in bed right now, but I’m two posts away from completing my September writing goal and I can’t give up now.

Today was such a busy day. I was tired from the get-go after a late night out with friends and I didn’t sleep well. I’ve officially reached that stage in life where I can’t eat late at night… and by late I mean like anytime after 8pm. I went to my friends’ house last night, and she made this amazing roasted vegetable soup with these perfect croissants and it was seriously divine. I asked for the recipe but she’s a way better cook than I am and I know it won’t be quite the same. So I savored it.

…and then my body yelled at me for eating it for a period of time in the middle of the night.

(But I have no regrets. ha)

I was tired this morning, but we had a bajillion things on our to-do list so after breakfast we got to work. We’re still working on our bedroom reno, so today we primed the closet and walls, and tonight we went back and finished painting the closet. It’s a lovely, brilliant white and it looks so fresh and clean. After we primed the walls this morning, M had some other work to do in the room so I went out to mow the lawn.

And you know what? I’ve decided that I really like mowing the lawn. For a long time it was just something that M did, but I started taking it over more this summer and it is possibly one of my favourite chores. I love creating straight, clean lines, and the results of my work are immediate. I love that I can see the areas I’ve done as I go, and the best part is that it’s the one chore that can’t be undone 5 minutes later. It stays nice for a few days, unlike when I vacuum and find P crumbling crackers on my clean carpets just as I’ve put the vacuum away.

I also love mowing the lawn because it gives me 40 minutes of uninterrupted time to just… think. There are few distractions, I’m not being bugged by the kids, and as I walk slowly back and forth, I get some of my best thinking done. Today as I mowed I started thinking about my Dad. It was his birthday this week, and for possibly the first time in my life, I forgot to call him. I didn’t even have a good excuse. On some level I knew it was his birthday, but on another I had it in my brain that his birthday was actually the next day. It was after 9:30pm when I finally realized my mistake and I sent him a huge apology birthday text, but I went to bed feeling like the world’s worst daughter.

I called him first thing the next morning, and he assured me that I was not the worst daughter… that he’d actually been on the phone most of the evening and it was nice to have a call in the morning. Ha. We had a nice chat, and I’m looking forward to seeing him and my mom at Thanksgiving next weekend.

So, as I was mowing I started thinking about Dad, and this memory I haven’t thought of in years popped into my mind and I’m so glad that I remembered it. My dad worked a lot when we were little, but he always tried hard to spend time with us. One night when I was about 6 or so, I remember getting ready for bed as I normally would. I had just climbed into my bunk bed when the door opened and my dad walked in. I remember laying there, seeing the light flooding in from the light in the hallway, wondering what he wanted. He asked me if I wanted to go see a movie with him. I flew out of bed and got dressed, and we went out to see the early evening show together. I felt like such a grown-up going to see a movie at night, and I loved being there with him. We went to see Rock-a-Doodle, a film I totally forgot even existed until today. It was such a simple thing, taking me to see a movie, but the feeling of going with him is forever imprinted on my heart. I felt so special being there with him. I’m now waiting for a good film to come out here, so I can surprise S in the same way.

See? I told you I do my best thinking while I mow the lawn. For those few minutes, all the distractions of my life are muted by the sound of my mower.

I like it.