a pocket memory

We kicked off our summer with a camping adventure with dear friends.  Sleeping in the woods is such a clear reminder to slow down.  We felt the breeze on our faces as we fell asleep. We swam in a sandy bottom lake. We skipped and biked and roasted food over the fire.  There was just enough thunder and plump rain drops to make it exciting, but not enough to ruin our fun.

I had a moment this weekend where I closed my eyes and wished that it could all feel like this forever.  It was one of those yearning to pause time moments.  You have those, right?  I must have watched the children zoom their bikes down the small hill next to our tents at least one hundred times over the course of the weekend.  Most times, they skidded to a stop, immediately searching for skid marks to prove their speediness.  They fell, they got back up, they high-fived, they zoomed.  They played hand games with songs that remind me of being little, but not too little.  They made bracelets with beads and embroidery floss and swung each other in the hammock so high it seemed as if they could sail off into the sky. For me,  summer is all about slowing down and pausing to notice the ways in which my children are growing.  Sigh.  These children of mine are growing up.  I’m really happy with all of the zooming and high flying as long as there is a nice long skid at the end.  Camping provides just that because at the end of the day, after all of their independent games and separate paths, the four of us were close and cozy sleeping together under the stars.

I call it a “pocket memory” because I’ll turn to this photograph and the memories of the moment again and again throughout the year. I like to think of it wrinkled and worn in my pocket, the way I used to keep important ticket stubs or love notes — transferring them from one pair of jeans to another just to have them close.

How are you kicking off summer? Any pocket memories? Do share!

xo e