"I've got to move on and be who I am
I just don't belong here
I hope you understand
We might find a place in this world someday
But at least for now
I gotta go my own way..."
As I sit here with Vanessa and Zac (Hugdens and Efron that is) singing in the background, I can't help but smile at the lessons they are so diligently trying to teach the little ones who watch, listen, adore with every ounce of their four to eight year-old-selves.
But um, would this be the time to share that I too have possibly, maybe, downloaded a few HS Musical tracks myself? yes, I admit- I even know all the words. (just to a COUPLE songs though. promise.)
In all seriousness, I think there are so many amazing life-lessons that you learn so early on in life, and are so wonderful to reflect back on. say, in your twenties when life is chaotic, crazy, and gets seemingly more complicated by the second.
for instance....1) always look both ways when crossing the street. and when riding your bike, running with your ipod, and walking the dog.
I was in a zone last night- running as fast as my little heart could pump along, in order to get home, and not get drenched by the looming black clouds. with some ridiculously loud rock song encouraging me along step by step, I just kept going, looking forward, not paying attention to the stop signs that appeared at each four-way intersection. i mean, those are for CARS right? well, let's just say that it was a two-way stop, and if only i would have remembered to "look both ways before crossing the street" then i wouldn't have nearly had my own hit-and-run (pardon the pun) episode. needless to say, i did slow down, and the car stopped just a few feet to my left. thank goodness i was wearing my neon pink running shorts and nightlight head gear.
2) never talk to strangers.
I am beginning to think that my oh so loving parents forgot to mention this to me early on in life. or ever.
Have you had those oh so awkward, yet incredibly entertaining, stranger on stranger moments? the kind where you know someone is staring at you, maybe you should say hi, oh geez i just looked up at the same time he was looking at me.... and... again. ok "don't look up, don't do it," shoot- i did it. ok it's time to leave. darn it, i'll have to walk past stranger #2 in order to exit and possibly run into stranger #1 from last week. shoot. he's approaching me. don't look up....."oh HI. yes. yes. nice to meet you too. Oh I'm Caitlin. nope. yes. good to meet you too. (i think I said that already-well, who cares, he said it twice too). sorry, I'm flying home that day....." and the ending is well, the possibilities are endless i imagine.
note to self- never talk to strangers. unless they are wearing a habit (clearly a nun.) in a uniform. (uniforms are always a good stranger to stranger communication gauge.) or the person sitting next to you in the airplane (you might as well tell your life story to the stranger in the seat two inches from you and of whom you will more than likely never speak to again. i mean, why not?) basically- never talk to strangers. (i'm obviously kidding, but sometimes, this is a good rule of thumb.)
3) when all else fails, turn on a movie, put on your PJ's, eat your ice cream before your pizza, and just dance.
It's obvious I am beginning to take this "seeing life through the eyes of a child" thing a little to far. Don't worry, I still stress out like an adult, have to pay bills, and clean my own house. But on days that are filled with more kid time than adult or alone time, this mindset is just going to happen. The sort of thought process where we must say "PJ's" and not pah-jam-ahs, or where we must have two scoops of ice cream in a cone with four squeezes of chocolate in between. all the while hurry hurry hurrying so as not to miss a beat of Vanessa and Zac's stellar performance.
And I wonder why they call me the best nanny ever? Hmmmm.....
Maybe because, I too, believe that dessert can be enjoyed before dinner, that PJ's are the best outfit ever, that high school musical and all it's adolescent attempts to describe being in love really can be the best way to spend a Friday night. : )
Headed home to the STL for ten days to spend some good quality time with the fam. So looking forward to resuming my big-sister-oldest-daughter-second-mom role. (i'm beginning to see a pattern here. i am WAY to young for this.) but i love it.
smiles and sunshine and sweet sweet summertime.
No comments:
Post a Comment