It was Lovely

Roger took me out to a restaurant last night for a delicious Italian dinner. Stephanie was unable to join us so it was Connor, Roger, starving after a bike ride (small for him, big for some, impossible for me, he only went 10 miles instead of forty), and me. First out of the kitchen was delicious Italian bread and olive oil with some butter on the side.

I opened a pat of butter, so Connor opened a pat of butter. I spread some on my bread, so Connor spread some on his bread. He spread some more and then some more, he licked the butter and then licked some more, he stuck his finger in the butter and licked that also then did that some more. I asked Roger if he had ever done it before and Roger assured me he hadn't. When Connor's little cheese pizza arrived he put the remaining bits of butter on the pizza and drank it as it melted. When he finally picked up the pizza to eat he said, "My pizza is leaking." It wasn't leaking much, because by then the butter was practically all gone.

Remember how dad would eat butter like cheese, that was Connor chowing down on butter last night.

I didn't buy Connor a Christmas present because I planned on little excursions throughout the year. Last night's play date was a scheduled trip to Lego's. When I got there I said, "Let's go to the Lego's Store."

He swept is hands around in a grand exuberant gesture and said with equal exuberance, "Granny, I have plenty of Legos, look."

"I want to go to the park." I have now heard everything.

At the park Connor eyed the monkey bars and said, "I need to learn how to cross the monkey bars. I'm practicing. Practicing means your mom and dad help you until you can do it alone."

In that one visit Connor validated truisms with the innocence of youth: Butter is delicious. We all have plenty. There are many simple joys. Practice makes us successful. It's okay to sometimes need a little help.

And he channeled Dad. Lovely evening.

These truisms helped ground me in reality. I'd been feeling "out of sync with the world," I often am, but it's felt more burdensome lately. I've felt like I was hitting hard edged boundaries instead of the usual softened edges, the blurred lines, the borders of ourself where we connect to other human beings. Lovey evening being taught the world eye view of a five year old.

Lynn's and my trip to the coast was lovely, after her walking parks for a year it was nice to revisit our friendship. Sort of a take a historical look at our friendship. Renew our friendship vows so to speak. And then I made the connection to family.

Family reunions do that. As a family we revisit our connections, take a sort of historical view of family, and renew our family vows - so to speak.

Here is to blurred edges. Family is lovely.