When I ask my husband, Andy, what he wants to do to celebrate his birthday, he replies, “Let’s go on a picnic.”
It’s winter. An icy wind has been blowing for days. It’s not ideal picnic weather, but does that matter? No. We’ll be brave and gritty. We’ll face the adverse weather together. We’ll be adventurous.
“What picnic food would you like to eat?” I ask.
“Let’s fill a thermos flask with tomato soup and have rolls with cheese.”
Years ago, before Andy and I had children, we’d spend our winter weekends bushwalking in the national parks around Sydney. And after exerting ourselves, ascending tree-covered mountains and breathing in stunning views while clinging to wind-battered rocky cliffs, we’d have a picnic. With cold fingers, we’d dip cheese-filled rolls into steaming tomato soup and enjoy the warmth of our food.
So, we’re going back in time. Andy would like to have a retro picnic on his birthday.
We visit the supermarket to buy a tin of tomato soup and find the same brand we bought in our pre-parenting days. We also throw packets of bread rolls and cheese slices into our basket.
Then, on Andy’s big day, we warm the soup on the stove before pouring it into our travel mugs, slide cheese slices into the rolls, and drive to a picnic area next to the river.
We choose a table bathed in winter sunshine. I flip my padded parka’s hood over my head to protect my face from the biting wind. We eat. And we remember other tomato soup picnics when we were younger, dreaming about a family we hoped we’d have.
We slurp the last drops of soup and brush a few breadcrumbs from the picnic table before strolling through the bush along the river bank.
“We’ve come full circle,” I say as I navigate a muddy puddle. Now that our kids are all grown up, we’re once again sipping soup and bush walking by ourselves.
At the end of the day, I say, “Did you enjoy your birthday?” and Andy replies, “Oh yes!” He looks at his stack of gifts and our kids – they’re visiting us for a birthday dinner – and thinks about how blessed he is.
Andy’s also thinking about our picnic. “We had so much fun doing something simple, didn’t we? We bought a can of soup and went for a walk. I had a fabulous day.”
Enjoying an Unexpected Little Adventure
Yes, doing fun things with each other doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive, does it?
When our kids were younger, I always looked for ways to add joy to our life, making our days together memorable.
Instead of rushing home from town after shopping or attending music lessons, we’d sometimes buy finger buns and stop at the lake to enjoy them. Here’s a story about one of those days.
“Wouldn’t it have been a shame if we’d hurried straight home?” I ask the girls. They nod emphatically, their mouths full of delicious bun.
The spring sun is warm on my skin. I look at the lake: the water is rippling as ducks glide by. I hear peals of laughter as children run past. I stare up at empty branches dissecting the blue blue sky, and I wonder how long it will be before the first green leaves appear on the trees.
And then I turn to my girls and notice the delight dancing in their eyes and the smiles on their faces.
Extracting Every Drop of Joy from Our Parenting Days
Should we try to extract every drop of joy from our parenting days? As Andy and I discovered, this precious time with our kids doesn’t last forever.
Did you linger in bed with a child snuggled up beside you, savouring the warmth and softness of little-person-skin instead of rushing to get on with your day?
Perhaps you talked about your hopes for the day with each child? Did you say, “Is there anything special I can do for you today?”
Did you stop at the playground after visiting the shops instead of hurrying straight home? Did you think, “The work waiting at home isn’t as important as spending time with my kids”?
An Unschool Challenge: Add Joy to Your Days
You could do Challenge 41 – Add Joy to Your Days – from my book The Unschool Challenge. The introductory story starts with these words:
Years ago, a mother told me she only arranges special outings with her kids as a reward. They can earn time with her by working hard on their school work, and then she will take them for ice cream, coffee or even lunch.
I felt sad that this family was homeschooling in a way that required rewards to encourage the kids to learn and that the parents rationed out the special times of their life. I wondered what the mother thought of me. Did she think I was spoiling my kids because I tried to turn as many moments as possible into ones that we’d remember with joy?
Safe and Sound
As Andy and I were walking along the river, we passed places where our daughter Imogen made music videos. On the river bank on a misty morning, sister Sophie filmed Imogen singing Safe and Sound:
You could:
- Look for simple, inexpensive ways to add joy to your family life.
- Do Challenge 41 from The Unschool Challenge.
- Help support my work by treating me to a coffee, making a small PayPal donation or buying one of my books. Your support helps keep my blog online. It also encourages me to keep writing!
- Stop by and share your favourite way to add an unexpected adventure to your day!
