Where My Love Affair with Water Began

I have mentioned in several blogs and to several of my friends and family how much I love the water. It doesn't matter if it's the ocean, a river, a pond or a lake, it calms me. It centers me. It reminds me I am but a speck of sand in this world. I can remember when I first realized what an enormous impact water can have on me.

I must have been about 14 years old and was on a class trip to Washington, DC. I fell in love with that city. From its rich history, to its awe inspiring power to the solemness and beauty that is Arlington Cemetery. We did a lot of the 'touristy' things; we visited the aforementioned Arlington Cemetery, President John F. Kennedy's grave and its accompanying eternal flame, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (now that almost deserves a post all its own, do you know what those soldiers go through in order to guard the tomb? Incredible), and various sections of the cemetery. We visited the Lincoln Monument, the Jefferson Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Smithsonian and the Vietnam Veteran Monument. 

The entire trip made me pause and realize how incredibly lucky I am to be an American. I mean, sure we have issues, struggles and battles, but wow, look at all that we do have. It is incredible to walk into the Smithsonian and see the actual flag Francis Scott Key looked upon as he penned "The Star Spangled Banner"...I mean the same, exact flag, my eyes are seeing the same thing his eyes did...am I the only one that finds that amazing?

One of the nights we were there we took a walking tour of the mall.  It was just magical at night. Towards the end of the walk we sat down at the end of the reflecting pond, looking towards the Washington Monument and put our feet in the water. I was a giggly 14 year old, there with my best friends and we were just having an amazingly good time. Suddenly I turned towards the monument and noticed the beauty, darkness and stillness of the water. I remember it seemed as though everything went silent. I remember feeling an inner peace wash over me that I had never experienced. I was no longer stressed or worried about all those things that really get to a 14 year old girl. It was an incredibly amazing feeling. Thus began my love affair with water.

I now live near the ocean and my Mom has a poem in her house that I think sums it up quite nicely, it says:

Once a year like migrating salmon

all humans should force their way to the sea

and walk humbly into the water.

They should let the waves splash them

and let the sand suck from under their feet.

They should do this young or old, rich or poor,

hale or frail.

For it will more greatly improve the mind than any

treatment devised by any branch of medicine.

Anonymous

Blue Chalk

When I get home from work each day I have a little bit of paperwork and computer work I have to do to "end my day". Today when I got home my husband had to run out to do a little work for his business, leaving me alone with all three kids and the work I needed to finish. I went into my room aka "my office" to finish up leaving my very mature seven year old "in charge".


Don't get me wrong, I have pretty realistic expectations of a seven year old, her two year old sister and one year old brother. I can also hear them from my room. Unfortunately I somehow missed an entire blue chalk episode. I should have known something was up when they were so quiet and getting along so well.

I finished my work, didn't take very long, came out of my room and found blue chalk, everywhere. We're talking on the carpet, the walls, every single kitchen cabinet, the refrigerator, the tile floor, the coffee table, end table and sofa table. WOW. My husband had cleaned the house so nicely for me to come home to today. I just knew I had to get this all cleaned up before he returned. So I pulled out the Magic Erasers and put my 7 year old to work with me scrubbing it. Let me just tell you, blue chalk is not so easy to "erase". But we managed to get it all up with the exception of the carpet which I am sure will come up when I steam it sometime before Christmas.


I was so upset. Then I realized it reminded me of a poem:

Sometimes I might upset you
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
on furniture and walls.
  
But everyday I grow a bit
And soon I'll be so tall
That all those little fingerprints
Will be so hard to recall.
 
So here's a special handprint
Just so that you can say
This is how my fingers looked
When I placed them here today


Our children stay small for such a brief time. It is so easy to forget this when we get bogged down in the day to day routines of our lives. It is so easy to react to a "blue chalk" moment instead of standing back and realizing how quickly these moments pass and that one day we will, indeed, laugh at this. I mean, really, BLUE chalk? On so many surfaces, how quickly must she have done that? It really is kind of funny. At least now that it's all cleaned up, anyway. I mean who knows, perhaps she will be an artist one day and I just erased her first "masterpieces". Or maybe she'll join the Blue Man Group...yikes...scratch that last bit.

Bless her little heart, she really had no idea she had done anything wrong. She was so proud of herself for helping clean up, saying "Mommy, I keen up". She was completely unfazed that I was frustrated, tired, and upset over the entire ordeal. When I looked down at her smiling face filled with such pride for helping me I realized, what's a little blue chalk? It is so much more fun to relish in the moment, hug, laugh and enjoy my two year old. Blue chalk moments and all.