It's Quiet Again
Funny how we don't realize how much we'll miss the ordinary moments until they quietly slip away, and then find their way back into our lives again.
This summer was the first full summer I had been home with my kids in nine years.
For a long time, being home with them every day was simply life. It was all my older children ever knew. Over the years, life changed. The older kids grew up, and work filled my summers. For my youngest son, though, this was the first summer he had ever really experienced having Mom home every day.
There was something so comforting about hearing them wander through the house, driving them to practices, and simply being part of their everyday lives again. Some of my favorite moments weren't planned at all. They were the quick conversations while passing through the kitchen, asking about their day, reminding someone to put their dishes away, and hearing about whatever was on their mind. Sometimes it was as simple as saying, for what felt like the tenth time that day, "Guys, please don't leave your shoes by the front door. You know it drives me crazy." They were the little conversations that lasted only a minute or two before everyone moved on with their day.
I'd forgotten how much I missed ordinary summer moments with my kids.
And I think they missed me too.
School has started again, and it's quiet again.
There won't be voices drifting down the hallway, someone wandering into the kitchen looking for a snack, or a quick conversation as they pass through the room on their way to something else. Those little conversations will wait until everyone comes home again tonight.
After everyone heads off to school, my mornings settle back into a familiar routine.
Tomorrow morning I'll make my usual breakfast, just like I have for nearly twenty years. Eggs have always been my breakfast of choice. It will tide me over until the house fills with voices again this evening, when I'll get to hear about spelling tests, football practice, funny stories from lunch, and everything else that happened while we were apart.
Maybe that's what makes the ordinary moments so extraordinary.
— Suni
P.S. If you're looking for a new breakfast to try, here's my current favorite.
Avocado Toast with Hot Pepper Bacon Jam & Fried Egg
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 slices hearty bread, toasted
- 2 ripe avocados
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons Hot Pepper Bacon Jam
- 4 eggs
- Butter
- Fresh arugula, for serving
Instructions
Mash the avocados in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. Toast the bread and spread with a thin layer of butter.
Spread the avocado evenly over each slice of toast. Top each slice with about 1 tablespoon of Hot Pepper Bacon Jam and a small handful of fresh arugula.
Fry the eggs to your preferred doneness and place one egg on each slice of toast. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and serve immediately.
