Monday To Pause

Owen’s off to school, and now I’m sitting. I laid in bed longer than I should, he laid right next to me. I wasn’t sure if I would be met with screams, as I got up, so I laid there as long as possible. Once I did get up, he still laid there. I went to the bathroom, and he was still in bed. I went to the kitchen, turned on the light, and he still hadn’t moved. I jumped on the scale, because that’s what you do when you tell yourself you’re on a diet, but still eating like you would on any other day, and he was still in bed. I started fixing some hot tea, when Owen zoomed past me; running to turn the living room light on. No screaming. He walked back to me, “wanna milk”, he said, opening the refrigerator, and getting his cup out. He went on, “wanna cracker momma get ewe some cracker pwease”. I explained that it was morning, and I would give him cereal. His reaction is always the same, “more cracker pwease”, and then started asking for his teacher. His beloved veggie straws are always top choice. I wish I knew how he started calling them crackers. He was very calm this morning, as we got him ready for school. He loves school, and his teacher. I can’t imagine if he didn’t want to go to school. As we walked towards the bus stop, I saw the spot ahead of us that Owen always trips on. The sidewalk has uneven pavement from settling over time. I stopped to point it out to Owen. I bent down to show him that it was sticking up, explaining that he needed to watch where he walks; he never does. So many times I’ve had to catch him as he trips, having it almost pull both of us over. Many times I’ve thought the city should fix it. I wanted to call them, I wanted to alert the media, I wanted to cry, but this patch of pavement isn’t cracked, or broken, it doesn’t even stick up an inch from the other ones. There are a lot worse sections, this is just where Owen trips. Today, as I was showing Owen the spot, I realized I had options. I could have him walk on the other side of me, but you never know what would trip him up over there. One step at a time, I told myself. Every step we take is a growing experience, for both of us. Jump right over that stumbling blocks, and know that you can achieve great things. Smiles to all and donut daze!