Grateful for tradition and the day-to-day

I often focus on the big things in my children’s lives – future careers, health issues, long term effects of short term decisions – and the same for myself and for those whom I love and feel I have some bit of affect on. In my rush to influence the future, I sometimes tend to miss what’s going on day-to-day. But not always.

Sometimes there is the reminder that today is all that really matters. Walking with my oldest a few weeks ago, we came across a dog with his owner and this prompted the following conversation:

Me: “Dogs bring out the worst in me. I love other people’s dogs, but I cannot live with them.”
John: “I’d like one of those Alaskan Huskies with the blue eyes.”
Me: “That’s cool. When you have your own place, you can get a dog.”
John: “Yeah.”
Me: “Maybe when all of you are moved out on your own and Dad and I are retired, I’d like to get a dog.”
John: “Really?! You don’t have that much time.”
Me: “!”

We had just been talking about how time flies, how I remember vividly him as a baby. In a onesie covered in airplanes. And, suddenly it’s 20 years later, and we’re walking and talking about when he’s out on his own. And how time is flying and a dog is a long term time commitment, so perhaps I might want to consider that sooner rather than later. And that’s quite a reminder that I need to focus on the day-to-day, on the rare dinner when the five of us are together, on the walks with my children, the late-night back scratches, the Jeopardy matches, the car rides to school, and the tradition of holidays when and where we are all together.

This Thanksgiving we’ll celebrate with Steve’s family as we have for most of our married life, grateful for those here, perhaps welcoming a new friend, sharing our lives and enjoying the memories we make. I love Thanksgiving, my favorite of all holidays, food and family-focused with no materialistic overtones. I’ll try to appreciate the here and now, on Thanksgiving absolutely, but each day as well.

That being said, I don’t think we’ll be getting a dog anytime soon.