Aw simplicity.
This past week I took a break from the busyness of my life and spent 5 days with family on the backroads of Minnesota. What a nice break. We all need it sometimes.
I enjoyed the change of scenery, the different landscape, crisp air, over abundance of fallen leaves and the realness that being in the Midwest brings. The simple things.
I saw my nephews (who are all 6 ft. or taller now) and heard about their cattle, and learned about showing goats in 4-H. I loved how for two days my uncle bragged about how he got a loaf of bread, milk, some apples, a bundle of bananas, and 8 potatoes for $9.33 at Quik Trip. I relentlessly looked for deer amongst the trees.
My 92 year old grandma shared her daily workout with me. She walks 30 circles in her apartment at 4 a.m., then sits down to do her exercises. My 90 year old Grandpa walks a mile every morning and when it’s snowing he drives to Wal-mart and walks the perimeter of the store 3 times. Pretty obvious why they’re doing so well. I saw the excitement in their eyes when they talked about how they can get a cup of coffee for .50 cents at Arby’s. I learned more about Harleys and trucking and drag racing. I watched my dad laugh as he talked with his two brothers about their younger (more rebellious) years. I looked through old photographs with my grandparents, half the people I didn’t know, but I didn’t care. I realize how special these moments are. All of them.
I came back and was back to work at 6am the next morning but I never want to forget these moments. The joy of the simplicity. I think sometimes we forget. I forget. How fleeting life is.
My grandparents were sitting there in their matching recliners - just riding life on out together. 65 years. Thats love. That’s what matters. Love, family, memories... it is all that truly matters 90 years into this journey... and now. If only we could remember that.
My accomplishments most likely won’t matter much, my followers and likes won’t matter. All that will matter is who I have there with me to visit with and reminisce with, how deeply I loved, how much I found the joy in the simple things and whose sitting in the recliner next to me.