ENLIGHTENMENT
“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. ”
The colourful 3D puzzle cube was completed by the time I took Sage to his father's house this afternoon. It was only until closer inspection I realised a missing black rod in one of the rows. We searched everywhere the rods could have been to no avail. Perhaps the rod was missing to begin with. After all, my home is not so large and Sage was working on this puzzle in only two places.
Despite the missing rod, we were both happy at the outcome. Sage was especially delighted when he realised the cube was so large as he did not anticipate its size. I was proud of his accomplishment and the way he was so meticulous about all aspects of putting together this great piece.
Our breakfast this morning consisted of sunny side up eggs - two eggs 'stick together', as Sage requested. His favourite part was the 'orange part', he let me know. My plate was filled with vegetables in addition to one egg. In an attempt at getting Sage to try new foods, I had him take one bite from the green bell pepper. The look on his face with his little wrinkled nose and squinty eyes let me know he was not too pleased with the taste.
'It tastes like nothing' was Sage's reply when I asked for his opinion on the bell pepper. I took a bite of the pepper on my plate and noted that perhaps he had a point. By itself, the pepper is not as tasty as it is when combined with onions and other vegetables in a cooked dish. Perhaps Sage will learn to like bell peppers one day but for now it is important he tries as many foods as possible.
Early afternoon found us at Trader Joe's for some bananas, blueberries, gouda, crackers, and red wine. The crackers, cheese, and wine were for later that evening - a date night with my boyfriend. He also bought a red wine and we enjoyed each other's company whilst drinking and talking about seeing each other soon. Somehow date night via Skype did not seem as distant as the geographical reality tells us, but for now this is all we have.
After our brief trip to the store, my son and I drove the short distance to NXNW as I had promised to take him out for fries. As Sage was eating his fries, I took a moment to answer an email from my boyfriend. Something in the email made me laugh and Sage took notice of my smile. That something was simply hearing from somebody who cared - someone who took time to write a few words to let me know he was thinking of me and asking about my boy.
'Mama, why are you so happy' he asked. I told him there was something funny in the email but the question surprised me and had more depth than I thought at first. Children can sense things in a way adults have forgotten with time. Age tends to numb the senses as we become jaded due to our experiences. I then realised my boy has not seen me happy for such a long time - a thought which made me sad for a moment. A moment of enlightenment, of awareness. Having had Sage spend the last five nights with me alone proved to be wonderful for both of us. He was happier than I had seen him in such a long time which made me happy as well.
