Day 12, Sunday: What do you miss? (a person, a thing, a place, a time of your
life...)
I miss a lot of things and I know I have a tendency to dwell on the things from my past that I miss so I am going to go through them right now and then try to stop thinking about them so much and concentrate more on the present.
A person
I miss my dad who died the first fall after we moved here to NC 17 years ago. My dad really is the one who taught me to swim, patiently waiting for me to overcome my fear of water, and swimming is one of my very favorite things. From him I learned to be a good packer. He and I both could fit more into a car than you would believe could possibly fit. We both love messing about with boats and ropes and being on the water. We both loved NH, and he is the one who bought the house in Sandwich before I was born.
I also miss my childhood friend Jane who lives far away. She is the none family member who has known me the longest, since we were both one. I also miss my good NH friends, especially Susan and Jan. Luckily I do get to see both of them and Jane in NH in the summer. Maybe sometime they will come visit me here! Here are Susan and me and Jan being silly last summer!
A thing
A thing that I miss is the feeling of being young, strong and and energetic and healthy. I hate that I get so achy and tired after work. I hate that my hands hurt when I try to open something or crochet or write with a pen, I hate that sleep is so elusive and that I have to take pills for high blood pressure.
A place
Everyone who knows me knows I miss NH and is sick of hearing about it! I love the sights of the lakes and mountains and the impossibly starry night sky, I miss the smell, so clean and piney. I miss how quiet it is there, and I miss the small-town-ness of it, where you bump into people you know wherever you go, and the school receptionist, who actually answers the phone live, recognizes your voice. I miss the winter and full moon light on the snow, and maple syrup making and the incredibly bright and crisp fall days. I miss just being able to go out and ski, or kayak, or swim in a lake and it is just an everyday event, not a major deal. I could go one but I will spare you.
Squam Lake
The front room or lobby of the red house
A time of your life
Of course I miss the time we were living in NH, but in general I miss the time of being a parent to young children. Being a mother was the thing I dreamed of most as a child, and was a favorite time of my life. I loved all of it - the constant attention they needed as babies, the excitement of watching them learn and grow, reading to them, going on trips with them, coaching them through various experiences in their school days, planning and taking part in their activities from swimming lessons, daisy/brownie or cub scouts, teaching their Sunday school classes and teaching them preschool at home with other children, soccer, cross country, track, diving, cheerleading, swim team, band, chorus, I know I am still their mother but I selfishly miss having them be dependent on me, and taking part in almost all of their activities. The only things I really don't miss about mothering are having them be sick, and teaching them how to drive.
Caitlin, me, Gus the dog, Jonathan, John and Kristen
There, I think I have covered all the things that I really miss. Time to turn my attention to the present - to still having a husband and my mom around, and some daughters who will be returning for some months, good friends around here that I enjoy spending time with, my garden that provides some pretty scenery, an upcoming longer-than-usual summer trip to NH that will involve my children and family - even my husband will come up this year! - my childhood friend Jane, my NH friends, the beauty of the lakes and mountains, and really good memories of my dad who is the one who brought NH into our family in the first place.
Sandwich Town Beach in the evening
Great post, and I could tell that parenting was your favorite part of life!
ReplyDelete