One of the happiest afternoons I've ever spent was sitting in beach chairs with Jen in the waves in Long Island Sound eating cherries and throwing the pits into the sea. We talked about everything that day. We had no schedule. We only had cherries to eat. They were the best cherries I've ever had. I even used that afternoon as my happy place visualization during childbirth (It did not work BTW...)
We have a park at the beach about 1 mile from my home. It's kind of hard to find, so as a result is usually quite empty. I took my girl there 3 times last week. We played in the sand and splashed in the water. When she was tired we sat with our toes in the water and drank watered down juice and Annie's Cheddar Bunnies. We talked. She asked me if I was tired. I said no, I just liked sitting with her. She said she liked sitting with me and that I was the "Best Mommy she ever had." They were the best cheddar bunnies I ever had.
It cost nothing. It was worth everything. It reminded me of why I'm frugal and what I'm doing here home with her. Sometimes I long for the days of 2 incomes. It was all so easy then. I liked having a job. I liked the money. I liked the people. I liked getting fancy coffee and eating out for lunch. I liked buying new furniture. I liked feeling important and smart.
I Love my girl.
Happy doesn't have to cost a dime.
4 comments:
How sweet!
Some of our best memories are made in the back yard, roasting marshmallows, digging in the garden or just hanging out and talking.
When we lived in Ohio we would pack a picnic lunch and dinner, drive to Presque Isle, Pa and hang out on the beach all day. The only cost was gas (This was back when gas was 99 cents...)
The boys still talk about it.
Keep up the good work, mom!
A beautiful reminder of why we make scarifies personal and financial. Thanks for sharing.
I think also it is great that you can share time with your little girl and I think it's good to express those feeling of your past memories with her too.
Love this! It was very touching, except for the part where you said your happy place was on the beach with Jen, and not on that same beach with ME, with a beer rinse on your hair while I had that gunky green Egyptian something or other in my hair, that would now remind me of wasabi or something! I can't IMAGINE that THAT wouldn't be your happy place! ;)
Oh that was a happy place too, Wasabi-head! Maybe it wasn't AS happy because I wasn't eating something!
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