Where we've been

And so it goes that a vacation to Richmond slid into a four more days of time off at home, which slipped quickly into a holiday weekend at my parents' lake house.

Soon, it became clear that my intentions of writing every one of those days, telling more stories from our time in Richmond and still taking time to be silent and centered and unplugged were all too much to expect of my first non-working vacation in almost three years. Instead, I let it be what it was -- a week with my boy.

Before the beginning of school and the dive into new projects for me, in the much-needed pause from work, we did what we don't do enough -- we played.

It felt freeing, just to have our days to ourselves and in our own city, to laugh and be silly and make plans and change plans, to make dinner dates for two and to recapture some of what we had on lazy afternoons last summer. Those trips to the park, rides on the el and scavenger hunts through the neighborhood held this relaxed joy that we have touched in the months since but were able to grasp on to, swing around and carry with us for days.

Now this time is over and tonight we prepared for a new schedule, the school year and another change in a year full of transitions. The Lightning McQueen backpack is full and ready to be placed on the small shoulders of a little boy who will inevitably ask for his hands to be held down the steps of our apartment, his cheeks to be smothered with kisses before sending him into a new classroom and his growing body to be squeezed tight just one last time before we let go.

I will feel better beginning this week with the week we had in our pocket. When the inevitable rush of the morning sets in and all of our intentions once again shift, I hope that relaxed joy won't tick away too soon. I hope I can remember to choose just a little more time to play and I know I am ready to get to the writing now.