When I was a Freshman at Gustavus Adolphus College, we used to sneak cafeteria trays from the lunch room and after 10 pm (Security did rounds at 9:30), we'd go to the hill behind Valley View dorm and slide down the tray in the snow. It sounds dork now, but it was quite the rebellious activity and you could get written up for doing it.
Tonight we went sledding with the kidlets. I'd had a bad day (emails with unexpected and unwelcome news) and I just needed to laugh.
On the first run down the hill, the boy dude swiveled backwards and FLEW down the hill going nearly 30 feet off the bottom. He trudged to the top and exclaimed it was like floating on a cloud. I'm sure it was and I only wish I didn't have middle aged bones to break or I would have tried it myself.
My daughter was not near as dare-devilish about the sled, but she had a tendency to lean and in slow motion she would veer off course, one time nearly wiping out her brother which caused shrieks and laughter. She had a knack for starting off "trued" up, but then sort of went off kilter....but I never could figure out the steering on those things either.
My daughter was not near as dare-devilish about the sled, but she had a tendency to lean and in slow motion she would veer off course, one time nearly wiping out her brother which caused shrieks and laughter. She had a knack for starting off "trued" up, but then sort of went off kilter....but I never could figure out the steering on those things either.
We got freezing cold and then picked up a piping hot pizza and watched Frosty (for like the 15th time) before heading off to bed.
When we laid down for prayers and snuggles, I was told, "you are the best mom ever".
I have this notion that they only know me as the here and now M-O-M who makes grilled cheese, reads books, drills spelling words and drives them around. If they only knew that I used to take risks and dares by stealing lunch room trays and sliding down the hill until my jeans were stiff with snow...Man, where did those years go anyway? Tonight by the sliver of the little moon hanging over the hill, I could taste again the adrenaline rush of almost being in trouble and laugh at the unpredictable nature of a sled on snow.
Take a moment tonight and find a memory of snow, or better yet sliding on snow and remember how really cool it felt to be out of control.
1 comments:
Nice essay. It caught my interest because I know the location because of being the mom of GAC grads.
I've something thought about something parallel to your mention of the here and now mom. Sometimes I think about my mom when I was 9 or 19 or 29, etc. and then compare her to me or what I was at the same stage of life she was in then. In my mind she was always older, wiser, stronger, dorkier. But yet, she was really younger than I am now when she was doing certain things, putting up with certain things.
Now I have to be her caregiver.
I really missed my old mom when I was sick last week.
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