Normal is beautiful

Today was a normal, ordinary Friday.

 Yes, I know it’s Tuesday but I started writing this on Friday. Where does the time go? I feel like I only have about 5 minutes to myself everyday. But after a fun filled morning in the pediatrician’s office we are stuck home with two cases of croup and one viral fever. Prescribed an afternoon of movies and ice pops I’m finally sitting down for a bit before tacking the dishes that piled up over the weekend.

 So back to Friday…the kids and I woke up around 7:30, made a fresh batch of blueberry pancakes with maple syrup and sausage, all while chasing after Kaeli who’s new favorite sport is to climb up everything. And she is quite the climber for a 13 month old! Grandma came up and watched Kaeli, well got to watch Kaeli nap which means Grandma actually folded my laundry that has been piling up (thanks Grandma!) while I drove the boys to school and went for my 30 min swim.

 A lot of people tell me that swimming is boring. I actually find it very peaceful. It’s the exercise where I focus most on my breathing. When running I distract myself with music and concentrate on my pace, but with swimming the only noise I hear is my breathing. Just a steady in and out, in and out. It’s a time where I get to reflect and actually think without numerous distractions. Today I found myself thinking about how much I appreciate being able to have a normal ordinary Friday.

Normal is boring, tedious, and monotonous. Normal is frustrating, demanding, and challenging, But normal is beautiful. Normal is what I cherish most. I really try not to take normal for granted because it’s a joy I’ve seen ripped away from too many people.

 Of course I will remember the big things like the look on my boy’s faces when we walked into Disney World for the first time, the way I felt running over the Verrazano Bridge, holding my babies for the first time. But it’s those everyday, normal, ordinary things that I have a strong emotional attachment to. The simple things, too often taken for granted. It’s easy to lose perspective on the beauty of normal. Like making blueberry pancakes on a Friday morning, nursing and rocking the baby to sleep every night stroking her hair mesmerized by her face. Blasting the radio on a rainy afternoon and dancing around the living room, or all of us climbing into bed on a lazy afternoon and taking a nap together. Those are the things I will miss the most.

Those are the things I am fighting for. To have many more normal ordinary Fridays.