Mini Moments

You can't schedule moments in life. There is no travel agent to guide you down life's calendar of events big and small. Mini moments are what shapes all of us. Magical, mysterious, magnificent, malevolent, and forever memorable. They tattoo our souls and mold us into the people we are slowly becoming.

We ran out of gas today. We ran out of gas on a bridge. We ran out of gas on a bridge with a very small emergency lane. I am terrified of bridges. I kept calm in this moment knowing my children were watching every move I was making. I pulled over to the rail-thin portion of bridge that allotted me a sliver of safety. Three small sets of eyes watched me as I tried to figure out a plan of action. Truck after truck sped by making our small van wobble with the rhythms of fast-paced deliveries. An inch too far to the right for any truck, and our windshield would have been shreds in the wind. A foot to the right of a distracted driver and I wouldn't be writing this tonight. As my heart rate raced and my breathing slowed to display the calm I was attempting to show, a mystery man appeared behind us. He worked for the state of Alabama and his job was to help people on the road. He bonded with Loren about Jersey (showing him the Jersey Devils tattoo) and pulled out a giant can of gas while striding into traffic to fill our tank. As the car turned on, a rush of feeling gushed into my eyes as the tears I had been holding back sprang into action. I was trying so hard to appear completely in control, but I was panicked. It was a mini moment full of every feeling known to parents and it was over within 20 minutes. 

Not all moments leave us shaken and refreshed in such a short period of time. Many moments last mere seconds. I met a Mitzi in Tennessee. Not a nickname, but her real name. It was on her name tag. I smiled from ear to ear. I saw a watermelon bus yesterday. This was a school bus with the roof chopped off and it was filled with watermelons. 1000's of watermelons. I got locked into a bedroom the other night with zero avenue of escape. Truly, the door was never coming open without escaping out the window. We got out, but it wasn't in a way I ever expected. I saw a huge owl butterfly a couple days ago. Technically, it was a "common" owl butterfly, but it was magnificent to me despite what the scientific literature decided its name was. I witnessed the World's Smallest Police Station yesterday. No police officers inside unless they were also tiny and I accidentally stepped on them. I tried sapote for the first time and it blew my mind. If you like flan, this will energize your flavor receptors. I also tried sapodilla. I did not like it.

We saw a rocket launch on Father's Day from the beach. About 4,000,000 things had to go right for this moment to happen. I could not have planned this if I tried. It was a magical moment.

Everything we have done so far, big and small, has made me laugh, cry, panic, smile and wonder. Our lives are shaped by the moments that are constantly all around us. A wise person reminded me today, I am exactly where I am meant to be.

sapote

there is a rocket in the distance. it's hard to see, but I promise it's there.

common owl butterfly. more like awesome owl butterfly.

you can call me hot sauce now.

tiny police people were inside. or were they......?
















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