More by luck than judgement, today has become a slow day. A day filled with nothing much at all. A day to sit down, listen to music, write, rest, and drink tea. The younger children have gone with W to visit her parents, and I am in charge of our eldest - who is coughing in the lounge. Early this morning I asked her to clean her room in exchange for watching television. I can’t hear television.
I’ve been thinking about blogging this morning - or rather, the list of blogs I posted last night. I felt guilty in a way; for at least the last couple of years I hadn’t kept up with any of the friends I have made online. I hadn’t forgotten them - I just hadn’t kept in touch, read their posts, or tried.
Then late last night a short email arrived from my oldest online friend;
“I miss you. we need to skype chat more or something.”
It all fell into place. I retreated from the online world at about the same time as we adopted the children. At the time I was working in London - days began at 5 in the morning, and didn’t end until I fell into bed each evening. Weekends were filled with craziness too; running here, visiting there. It wasn’t that we were trying too hard - just that life was happening. It’s only in recent months that the children have become old enough to amuse themselves, and afforded us any kind of quality time to ourselves once again.
It occurred to me last night that allparents go through the same submersive experience when children arrive in their lives. It happened to us, and it happened to the far flung friend that emailed me. We finally emerge from the other side of parenting little ones, peek our head above the battlements, and wonder what happened to the person we used to be, and the people we used to know.
Here’s to building bridges, keeping in touch, and remembering all those people we used to spend so much time with. When you get a chance, drop them a line, call them, let them know you thought of them.