The last several days have been the sweetest temperate days of summer.  Of course the countdown for the school season has begun here in the Northeast.  We are already reminded through social media that some are back to their weekly routines, sleep schedules and minor life stressors of juggling many hats.

Routine can be good however when you have a stop and smell the roses type of kid and extra time off in the summer, having no plan is sometimes the best plan, right?  So when Audrey woke at 10am, the thought of wanting to plan something on this beautiful Monday was almost at the top of my list.  Instead, I fought that desire and moved at her pace….deciding to keep our pajamas on until almost 1pm.  Making that choice to slow down again allowed me to soak in the teachable moments from my five year old.

Audrey scarfed down her waffles and syrup, saving the crusty pieces for me of course.  She wandered out of the back porch in her pink crocs and mermaid pajamas to her swing.  It was her spot, her way of taking in the morning….I watched her day after day on that swing, looking around at the leaves, catching the sight of the butterflies hopping through the bushes and smiling at the sky.  On the most humid summer mornings, her spot was still the swing.  It was her way of collecting the moments, living in the present…waking up to a new day.  Something I think as adults we tend to loose this ability because we are consumed by routines, schedules, and life in general…kids are gifted with this ability be in the moment.

So on this lovely PJ kind of day, I decided to be a kid with her.  Don’t mistake that I had been on the swing with her dozens of times, and every time it was awesome.  This time…I blocked out any “to do” list in my head, even the next adventure of our day.  As she took to her swing on the left, she watched me flop onto mine.  And without a care in the world….we both started to swing lightly.  In front of us on the grass about ten steps away was a swarm of little gnats….the little ones brought to life from the dog days of summer….the kind that stay in a little swarm in the air and you’re never sure why.  As Audrey glanced out on the yard, she chuckled to me, “There they are again Mom”…”What”, I responded… “Those dancing bugs”.

When I realized what she meant I looked closely at those little bugs moving around collectively in their huddle.  Oh my goodness, they ARE dancing!?!  I kid you not, I saw those bugs in front of my car, on the side of the road at least six times in the past two days….and trust me, they ARE dancing.  Never again will I look at those little bugs the same thanks to the eyes of a five year old.

The morning stretched out to the early afternoon we both decided to do some writing on the back patio, Audrey asked me how to spell big words while I typed a letter to a friend.  As she finished her project on her brown construction paper she wandered back to her spot.  While my head was still face down, eyes on the keyboard, I heard my child erupt into a joyful “This is the Best Day Ever” melody that she repeated several times.  I thought to myself as I watched her, she gets it…she really gets it.  All because I decided to stay in my PJs with her on the most beautiful summer morning, and what a day it was….our hearts were content.

There’s this song that Audrey and I sing together, it’s sung by Sarah Bareilles and everyone knows the original by Ottis Redding.  I remember the day when she asked me to replay it over and over again so she could remember its words.  She was not even four when she walked around with the phone in her hand.  Well, on this beautiful Monday filled with no routine, no schedule and no hurried moments…she began to sing the verse she grew to love.   “Sitting on the dock of the bay, watching the tide, roll away, sitting on the dock of the bay, wasting time time tiiiiime…”

In the coming weeks when lunches are packed, cereal is half eaten, tears of exhaustion come after adrenaline building days…I hope we can all find the time to waste time…..because that is truly where beauty lies.

Thanks to all the little dancing bugs out there….reminding their parents to slow down and just be