The Familiar Season
Sometimes the ordinary days are the ones we wish we could keep forever.
There are seasons of life where every day feels different.
And then there are seasons where every day feels wonderfully familiar.
Right now, we’re in the familiar season.
Most weekdays start the same way.
Jasper gets up and gets ready for daycare.
My partner heads off to work.
I start another day.
It’s not flashy.
It’s not always exciting.
But it’s our rhythm.
And lately, one of my favorite parts of that rhythm has been watching Jasper during swimming lessons.
Every week, he seems a little more comfortable.
A little more confident.
A little more willing to try something new.
His instructors have been giving him great feedback, and as a parent, there’s something special about watching effort slowly turn into progress.
Not overnight.
Not magically.
Just little by little.
The same way most good things happen.
This weekend gave us a welcome break from the routine.
The smoke from the Canadian wildfires had made it difficult to spend much time outside recently, so having a couple of clear days felt like a gift.
Friday and Saturday became simple days.
Getting outside.
Taking walks.
Breathing fresh air.
Doing the kinds of ordinary things that suddenly feel extraordinary when you haven’t been able to do them for a while.
By Sunday, we had two birthday parties to attend.
One for a daycare friend.
One for my Aunt Lori.
Lots of family.
Lots of kids.
Lots of food.
Lots of laughter.
The kind of day where you slowly realize just how full life really is.
By the end of Sunday evening, I found myself feeling something I seem to feel more and more these days.
I wasn’t dreading Monday.
I just wasn’t ready for Sunday to be over.
Because sometimes the best weekends aren’t the big vacations or the exciting trips.
Sometimes they’re the weekends where life simply feels full.
Daycare drop-offs.
Swimming lessons.
Birthday parties.
Family dinners.
Walks outside.
A little routine.
A little chaos.
And a lot to be grateful for.
Maybe that’s the thing about these familiar seasons.
They don’t always feel special while you’re living them.
But one day, you’ll look back and realize these were the days you were hoping would last forever.