On reflection

There comes a point (doesn't there?) when we ask ourselves "What's it all about?". I do. Quite often. I usually don't have an answer. Deep down, I'm a shallow thing. My needs are relatively simple, and I don't ask for much (fortunately...).

I don't know about you, but I find myself where I am quite by accident. My life hasn't gone the way it's gone through any kind of planning: it's just worked out that way. Thinking about it, the number of major life decisions I've consciously made can probably be counted on the fingers of one hand (and even then, I won't need the thumb or all of the fingers).

Big things happen, of course they do, but thankfully not too often. It's the little things that I prefer to focus on - the things that make me smile, make me cry, make me glad to have been there...

This week, those little things include:-

Thomas, riding to school on his bike, on his own, for the first time. We'd had a 'dry run' where I met him part of the way, just to check he's OK. But on Tuesday, I got him across the nasty road in front of our flat and he was off. I wasn't meeting him at the school gates - he was on his own. I admit I cheated and pulled over to the side of the road on my way to work to see that he was doing fine, but he didn't see me, so it didn't count. He had the biggest grin on his face: FREEDOM! I continued on my way with a big smile and tears pouring down my cheeks!

At work, we have a lake next to our building, and we have a flock of Canada geese that hang out there, doing their thing. At this time of year there are loads of them. Probably a couple of generations of adults, and all their new offspring, pretty big by now, but still unmistakably young and fluffy. I arrived at work the other day, parked the car and noticed that there were about 50 geese grazing on a patch of grass next to the lake, adults and juveniles all mixed together. Just as I stepped out of my car the heavens opened and it poured with rain. And the geese, as one, started running. If they'd had newspapers and opposable thumbs they'd have been covering their heads. It was comical to see this great flock of geese running to get out of the rain. And where did they run to? The lake - they were running to get wetter! What's that all about?

Suffering from a cold (again!), I arrived home last night, changed into cosy pyjamas and snuggled up on the sofa, under a warm blanket, to watch daft TV and snooze. Thomas brought me Diet Coke and the TV remote. How lucky am I to live in a safe, warm, comfortable flat, with a son who understands his mother's priorities so well.