Welcome to the second installment of the Decisions, Decisions feature!
As the self-identified Indecisive Mama, obviously choices aren’t my forte. But occasionally I make some really good ones, and when that happens, I like to brag about document them here.
I’m blogging this week from a standing desk in the lobby of a Hilton hotel, where I’m attending an interpreting conference. My brain is tired from workshops today, and my feet and back aren’t going to put up with this for too long.
So without further ado, some good decisions I’ve made so far this summer!
Going to the Pool on the Last Day of Preschool
Sometimes I get all in my head about things that aren’t actually all that complicated. Nevertheless, my overthinking gets me so worked up, I’m too overwhelmed to move forward. This happened last year around going to our community pool. Abby loves it, but the logistics of packing snacks and getting her in a swimsuit and sunscreen…navigating neighbors and irrational worry about her safety…it was all too much.
But I’ve found the trick to beat overthinking is to just DO the thing before I have a chance to think.
So, on Abby’s last day of preschool, when it was over 90 degrees outside and I really didn’t want to stay and play at the park, I didn’t let myself think before I said, “Abbs, lets go home and go to the pool!”
Of course, once I’d said it out loud I was committed. And getting over my mental block that first day of summer showed me it wasn’t as bad as I had been envisioning. We’ve been back several times already and I am sure it will be a staple in our summer routine.
Score one for impromptu decisiveness!
Taking the Train
To kick-off the summer, even before Abby was out of preschool, I headed to Washington D.C. for a long-overdue girls’ weekend with my former roommat. This in and of itself was a fantastic decision, as we had a blast doing a whole lot of nothing besides eating, talking, napping….and spending a day at the International Spy Museum. It was relaxing, refreshing, and wonderful.
But deciding to take Amtrak for the trip, instead of driving, was a fantastic sub-decision.
I remember trying to look at Amtrak tickets from New York to Oklahoma, back when I was single and and felt like I was dropping a fortune flying home every six-months. It never ended up being any cheaper, and it always took twice as long, so I never tried it.
However, out here on the east coast, trains are more numerous and fares are cheaper. I got a roundrip business class ticket for less than I would have paid for a one-way coach seat on a discount airline. The process to get on the train was simple, painless, and stress free. It took only about an hour longer than Google Maps predicted I could have driven (without traffic, and let’s face it…that was unrealistic.) I was able to get up a walk around, doze off, listen to podcasts and read.
All in all, money and time well spent.
Buying Birkenstocks
I’ve been watching with some amusement the past few years as Birkenstock sandals have come back into style. They were never my thing when I was a teenager, and probably wouldn’t have been now either, except for the prospect of a summer pregnancy in North Carolina, and the rave reviews I heard about how comfortable they are.
If you doubt my claim to indecisiveness, let me just tell you…I visited the shoe store three times to try them on before I finally purchased a pair. And even then, I carried them around the store for a good twenty minutes, texting my sister and my husband for reassurance before I bit the bullet and laid down my debit card.
They’re pricier than I would normally ever spend on sandals, but let me tell you…when I wear them, I don’t think about them at all. And for a pregnant woman in the heat of summer, I feel like that says it all.
As a bonus, I got a style where I can loosen the straps as my feet start to swell…I mean…can you even beat that??
Returning to Sonic Playground
It’s been a couple years now since I took Abby to the Sonic in town, which has a massive play structure. The last time we went was not a pleasant experience. She was completely unafraid, but she was so small, I felt the need to accompany her when she wanted to climb all the way to the top (which is probably the height of a second floor window.)
Being afraid of heights myself, I was uncomfortable, especially since she wasn’t super stable in her mobility yet.
But I really wanted to allow her to experience things without influence by my fears, so I let her continue to play.
Then, a less-than-kind little boy rather agressively “helped” her down the slide, and I was done. We left, and since then have stuck to smaller parks and playgrounds, even though she’s asked numerous times to go back.
Well, last week, I finally gave in. On a nice day, with a pretty breeze, when things weren’t too busy, I ordered her a watermelon lemonade, and she kicked off her shoes to run through the sand.
Her first destination: the very top.
Down the spiral slide she came, grinning massively the whole way.
And I realized….she’s grown a lot in two years. At four, she’s much more confident, and I have more trust in her mobility.
But I’ve grown too. The twinges of anxiety at her fearlessness weren’t gone completely, but they have definitely lessened.
I trust her more, and I trust myself more as her mom.
I wouldn’t have figured that out in that way, if I hadn’t chosen to revisit the scene of a long-ago bad day.
It was a good decision.
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