My perfect place is the front porch of my parent's farm house on a breezy summer day. It is a BIG porch so there is always plenty of shade and the breeze keeps you cool and the mosquitoes away most of the time. I love sitting out there and drinking terere with whoever happens to be there. I love how comfortable it is, how there is lots of room for Luke to play and I don't have to worry about him running into the street and getting killed because the street is far away across a huge green lawn with lots of big old shade trees instead of just 30 feet from the front door to a busy hazardous street with lots of truck and strange people passing by all the time.
I like that my parent's front porch is secluded, out in the country and far enough off the road that while you can be seen it is only minimally. I feel comfortable there, I can nurse my son with out a care. No one to judge me there. And even though I am still careful to be discrete, I don't worry so much about what others are thinking. I know those who don't want to see too much will keep their eyes averted just in case my son decides to put on a show, and everyone there believes that it is natural and normal and GOOD to nurse a child longer than a year. And so I relax, and so does my son, and he doesn't try to put on a show. He climbs on my lap and asks without demanding and then curls up and nurses peacefully, enjoying some time with me that is all ours.
I like that there is space. You can see for miles over beautiful fields. My favorites are the golden wheat fields which ripen around my birthday. Harvest. I LOVE harvest. There is space for Luke to play and explore and grow and learn there. He doesn't have to be tethered to me or holding my hand. I can sit there and watch as he gains knowledge and confidence and new skills. There is space for us to use our imaginations, we can be and do anything there. I can make him dandelion chains, or curly-q's, or rub the flowers on his hands to turn them yellow. We can sing silly songs and make chalk pictures on the sidewalk and play ball. There is space to watch things grow, flowers and vegetables and animals and babies.
I love the people there too. I love how much they love my child, how well they know him, how they delight in everything he does, almost as much as I do. I love how we have such open, trusting, comfortable relationships. How I can tell them anything an be completely safe knowing that they will love me and accept me regardless. I am grateful for them, because I know not everyone has that kind of relationship with their families. I hope I have that kind of relationship with my son and whatever other children I may have in the future.
So this is my perfect place, sitting on a breezy big porch on a warm summer day, with family around me. It isn't fancy, but it is good. There are other perfect places, places close to other people I love, places in Indiana, Oregon, Colorado, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic to name a few. Right now I am enjoying this one, but next week I will get to enjoy a different one!
I like that my parent's front porch is secluded, out in the country and far enough off the road that while you can be seen it is only minimally. I feel comfortable there, I can nurse my son with out a care. No one to judge me there. And even though I am still careful to be discrete, I don't worry so much about what others are thinking. I know those who don't want to see too much will keep their eyes averted just in case my son decides to put on a show, and everyone there believes that it is natural and normal and GOOD to nurse a child longer than a year. And so I relax, and so does my son, and he doesn't try to put on a show. He climbs on my lap and asks without demanding and then curls up and nurses peacefully, enjoying some time with me that is all ours.
I like that there is space. You can see for miles over beautiful fields. My favorites are the golden wheat fields which ripen around my birthday. Harvest. I LOVE harvest. There is space for Luke to play and explore and grow and learn there. He doesn't have to be tethered to me or holding my hand. I can sit there and watch as he gains knowledge and confidence and new skills. There is space for us to use our imaginations, we can be and do anything there. I can make him dandelion chains, or curly-q's, or rub the flowers on his hands to turn them yellow. We can sing silly songs and make chalk pictures on the sidewalk and play ball. There is space to watch things grow, flowers and vegetables and animals and babies.
I love the people there too. I love how much they love my child, how well they know him, how they delight in everything he does, almost as much as I do. I love how we have such open, trusting, comfortable relationships. How I can tell them anything an be completely safe knowing that they will love me and accept me regardless. I am grateful for them, because I know not everyone has that kind of relationship with their families. I hope I have that kind of relationship with my son and whatever other children I may have in the future.
So this is my perfect place, sitting on a breezy big porch on a warm summer day, with family around me. It isn't fancy, but it is good. There are other perfect places, places close to other people I love, places in Indiana, Oregon, Colorado, Paraguay, and the Dominican Republic to name a few. Right now I am enjoying this one, but next week I will get to enjoy a different one!
No comments:
Post a Comment