My friend sent a meme this morning that had a picture of a lady with her arms outstretched and her hair blowing in the breeze. It read "Me enjoying the 4.2 seconds of silence between strapping the kids in the car and walking round to the drivers seat." I wrote back to her that I think about this often or at least every time I do this action. She then mentioned that during that time she may realise she had forgotten something inside and runs in to get it enjoying an additional 2.2 second sprint, but this sprint is filled with child free joy.
Ah the feeling of this 4.2 second walk to the drivers seat. During this time you can be anywhere and do anything. Sometimes I travel through time into the past and I'm in another country enjoying a coffee and people watching, or sitting on the floor of a yurt enjoying a cup of salty tea and the feel of windburn on my face. Sometimes I travel to the future and I'm super successful and don't have apple juice spilled on my shirt and muddy hand prints on the calves of my jeans. But most of the time I spend that 4.2 seconds in the present tense walking around the car enjoying the moment of freedom from the one I adore most.
However, freedom is not free. I take a deep breath, open the car door, turn around to my love strapped into the backseat, smile as he smiles back. Then his face turns into an upside down smile because we have remained still for too long. Aaaand we are off.
Enjoy the ride.
