Oh, what a day
I'm reading a book called "blink" which is about the fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a second decisions our unconscious makes in our lives. It is the millisecond when we know something is right or wrong, real or fake, etc, etc...
For me, I was most in touch with that split second process when I was coaching soccer. I knew exactly when a goal was going to be scored, about 2 seconds or so before it actually happened. I could tell by the curve of the ball, or the location of the forward, or the misstep of a defender. I just knew.
Therefore I was the first to cheer when one of my girls scored, or the first to groan and turn my head when we got scored upon. I just knew. Long after I had stopped coaching that ability remained until one day when I realized I was a bit rusty.
I still remember it well, I hit a shot about as well as I have hit one before, it was about 25 yards out and the thing just knuckled and knuckled, there was no way it was going to miss, heading straight for the upper left corner. The problem was, the goalkeeper for the MN Thunder was the goalkeeper of the other team and he made a spectacular save...
After I had started celebrating, oh the shame.
Today I was not at all operating out of blink mode, it was more like my, deep sleep can't make a decision to save my life...
Or my kids mode.
Sara is out of town, in DC for a wedding, and today we decided to go to the MOA, run around eat crappy food and look for a pair of soccer shoes for Eliot. Everything was going well until we decided it was time for lunch. I decided, instead of walking the 4 miles to the elevator to brave the escalator.
With a stroller.
And two kids.
And an unconscious that was taking the day off.
I saw it all in my head just fine, I would put Naomi in the stroller and Eliot and I would hold hands up the escalator. I saw it all so clearly, it seemed like a sound decision, yes, I have done that before, the problem of course: Sara is usually with me.
It usually is a mutual decision with hands to go around.
Not so much this time.
I should have realized in the moment I went to park the stroller to prepare for loading and Naomi and Eliot raced over to the edge of the escalator and begun calculating the speed, their ability and how much pain they could inflict in one single incident.
Kids do that you know, they calculate all these things to live on the edge, and always add in the piece of what is going to cause the most anxiety, the most craziness, the most awkwardness a person could ever imagine. It's a good thing we lose that ability when we grow old.
Anyway, I am not sure what happened, but as the two of them began to consider the escalator, I charged over, and for some reason only known to my sleeping unconscious, I brought along the stroller, I was able to get Naomi's hand and it looked like, for the briefest of milliseconds that they had decided to wait.
Then Naomi took the step. And when Naomi takes the step, Eliot has to as well, he can not for any reason be seen as lesser than has little sister. And so it happened. Naomi had my hand, she was safely on a step, ascending, when she suddenly decided NOT to let go of my hand so I could be sure Eliot was OK. When I freed my hand, Naomi decided to walk forward, off the step and the slow motion God's went into action.
I looked back and saw Eliot get on his step just fine. Turned to see Naomi fall forward DOWN the escalator, what a sight, legs spread wide and almost straight in the air, arms also wide, heading down the stairs, seemingly on her face, she looked like a seal flailing around in the ocean, it was strangely graceful.
With Naomi secure in my arms, not sure how she got there, Eliot was halfway up the escalator, he was pretty sad, his blanket was about five steps behind him. I turned and it was in that moment that the stroller decided to enter the fray as well, I turned, took a step down and it attacked, seriously it attacked me.
I fell forward onto the stroller, scratching the heck out of my ankle I found out later, but Naomi was secure and just fine, I didn't actually fall, I stumbled over the attacking stroller and at that point was rescued by a few generous and gentle people who helped me up and helped get the stroller up as well. They asked if they could hold Naomi and rock her in the stroller while I went after Eliot.
Thinking that wasn't such a good idea I put Naomi in the stroller, braced it on the escalator and rode up after Eliot who was completely and totally rejecting the strangers who were trying to help him. He actually started walking towards the ascending stairs trying to come get me. I am sure I yelled stop or something, but have by now, effectively shut that part out of my memory.
We got everything settled and the only thing that was ugly was a little cut on Naomi's lip, she'll pry have a fat lip tomorrow, hopefully not, so Sara will never know this all happened.
Oh what a day. Thank God for McDonald's and M&M's, they make the world go round. Although I am sure they won't help me sharpen my unconscious decision making.
On the drive home, Eliot had dropped his toy in the car, and asked if I would pick it up, I said no, I had to concentrate on driving. Eliot asked, "So we don't crash?", I said yes, and Naomi said she wanted to crash. I said, Naomi, if we crashed it would feel a little bit like the fall you took on the escalator today, but it would hurt a lot more. Do you want to feel that again?
As I looked in the rear view mirror, a huge smile came across her face and she said:
"Do it agin!" Oh the shame.
Be well
A+
For me, I was most in touch with that split second process when I was coaching soccer. I knew exactly when a goal was going to be scored, about 2 seconds or so before it actually happened. I could tell by the curve of the ball, or the location of the forward, or the misstep of a defender. I just knew.
Therefore I was the first to cheer when one of my girls scored, or the first to groan and turn my head when we got scored upon. I just knew. Long after I had stopped coaching that ability remained until one day when I realized I was a bit rusty.
I still remember it well, I hit a shot about as well as I have hit one before, it was about 25 yards out and the thing just knuckled and knuckled, there was no way it was going to miss, heading straight for the upper left corner. The problem was, the goalkeeper for the MN Thunder was the goalkeeper of the other team and he made a spectacular save...
After I had started celebrating, oh the shame.
Today I was not at all operating out of blink mode, it was more like my, deep sleep can't make a decision to save my life...
Or my kids mode.
Sara is out of town, in DC for a wedding, and today we decided to go to the MOA, run around eat crappy food and look for a pair of soccer shoes for Eliot. Everything was going well until we decided it was time for lunch. I decided, instead of walking the 4 miles to the elevator to brave the escalator.
With a stroller.
And two kids.
And an unconscious that was taking the day off.
I saw it all in my head just fine, I would put Naomi in the stroller and Eliot and I would hold hands up the escalator. I saw it all so clearly, it seemed like a sound decision, yes, I have done that before, the problem of course: Sara is usually with me.
It usually is a mutual decision with hands to go around.
Not so much this time.
I should have realized in the moment I went to park the stroller to prepare for loading and Naomi and Eliot raced over to the edge of the escalator and begun calculating the speed, their ability and how much pain they could inflict in one single incident.
Kids do that you know, they calculate all these things to live on the edge, and always add in the piece of what is going to cause the most anxiety, the most craziness, the most awkwardness a person could ever imagine. It's a good thing we lose that ability when we grow old.
Anyway, I am not sure what happened, but as the two of them began to consider the escalator, I charged over, and for some reason only known to my sleeping unconscious, I brought along the stroller, I was able to get Naomi's hand and it looked like, for the briefest of milliseconds that they had decided to wait.
Then Naomi took the step. And when Naomi takes the step, Eliot has to as well, he can not for any reason be seen as lesser than has little sister. And so it happened. Naomi had my hand, she was safely on a step, ascending, when she suddenly decided NOT to let go of my hand so I could be sure Eliot was OK. When I freed my hand, Naomi decided to walk forward, off the step and the slow motion God's went into action.
I looked back and saw Eliot get on his step just fine. Turned to see Naomi fall forward DOWN the escalator, what a sight, legs spread wide and almost straight in the air, arms also wide, heading down the stairs, seemingly on her face, she looked like a seal flailing around in the ocean, it was strangely graceful.
With Naomi secure in my arms, not sure how she got there, Eliot was halfway up the escalator, he was pretty sad, his blanket was about five steps behind him. I turned and it was in that moment that the stroller decided to enter the fray as well, I turned, took a step down and it attacked, seriously it attacked me.
I fell forward onto the stroller, scratching the heck out of my ankle I found out later, but Naomi was secure and just fine, I didn't actually fall, I stumbled over the attacking stroller and at that point was rescued by a few generous and gentle people who helped me up and helped get the stroller up as well. They asked if they could hold Naomi and rock her in the stroller while I went after Eliot.
Thinking that wasn't such a good idea I put Naomi in the stroller, braced it on the escalator and rode up after Eliot who was completely and totally rejecting the strangers who were trying to help him. He actually started walking towards the ascending stairs trying to come get me. I am sure I yelled stop or something, but have by now, effectively shut that part out of my memory.
We got everything settled and the only thing that was ugly was a little cut on Naomi's lip, she'll pry have a fat lip tomorrow, hopefully not, so Sara will never know this all happened.
Oh what a day. Thank God for McDonald's and M&M's, they make the world go round. Although I am sure they won't help me sharpen my unconscious decision making.
On the drive home, Eliot had dropped his toy in the car, and asked if I would pick it up, I said no, I had to concentrate on driving. Eliot asked, "So we don't crash?", I said yes, and Naomi said she wanted to crash. I said, Naomi, if we crashed it would feel a little bit like the fall you took on the escalator today, but it would hurt a lot more. Do you want to feel that again?
As I looked in the rear view mirror, a huge smile came across her face and she said:
"Do it agin!" Oh the shame.
Be well
A+
Comments
Keep on loving and enjoying your children, and especially sharing the stories.