I'm Into Something Good

What a fantastic weekend. Slept in on Saturday, got to snuggle in my bed with both kids -- so delicious -- got to eat bacon -- so delicious -- see an old friend at my son's triumphant soccer game, and then had friends over for dinner. Sunday I had a great yoga practice followed by some nice time with my kids and some time in my garden -- all on an absolutely gorgeous day.

All three of us were feeling really good. My daughter even played this song -- a song I didn't even know she knew:

Woke up this morning feelin' fine
There's something special on my mind
Last night I met a new girl in the neighborhood, whoa yeah
Something tells me I'm into something good
(Something tells me I'm into something)

She's the kind of girl who's not too shy
And I can tell I'm her kind of guy
She danced close to me like I hoped she would
(She danced with me like I hoped she would)
Something tells me I'm into something good
(Something tells me I'm into something)

We only danced for a minute or two
But then she stuck close to me the whole night through
Can I be fallin' in love?
(She's everything I've been dreamin' of)
She's everything I've been dreamin' of

I'm not falling in love at the moment, but that's ok, because my kids are everything I've dreamed of, and more. When it was close to bedtime, I realized that I hadn't yet done my 5 minutes of meditation, so I told my daughter I was going to do it while she brushed her teeth and then I'd read to her. She said no, wait, she wanted to sit with me. She listened while I told her about the objects on my altar. And we sat.

And even though my mind was supposed to be quiet, I kept hearing:

Something tells me I'm into something good...

Three Little Birds

Three little birds inside their happy little tent

With Memorial Day weekend upon us and no trip to the cabin in our plans, we decided to camp for a night at Governor Dodge State Park and then go from there to my son's noon soccer game -- also in Dodgeville.

Because we hatched our plan late in the game, the only campsites available were Horse Camp -- which I dinged because I thought it might be noisy and smelly -- and a group site. The group site was $25 more than a regular site, but as it turned out, it was worth every penny. We had a huge wooded space to ourselves. No listening to other people partying or snoring while we were trying to sleep -- just the three of us in our tent.

Our huge, awesome campsite

Before we left town yesterday, my daughter had a music program at her school. Her Dad and I were so happy to see how actively she participated -- we haven't seen her sing so freely since preschool. This was one of the songs she sang, and given our idyllic surroundings, and the variety of birdcalls we got to hear from our tent this morning, this song seems perfect to mark this day:

Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin': Don't worry about a thing,
'Cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Can't see a lot of it here but the sky was gorgeous!

Rise up this mornin',
Smile with the risin' sun,
Three little birds
Each by my doorstep
Singin' sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin', "This is my message to you-ou-ou: "

Don't get me wrong. There were things to worry about. I suppose there always are. For one thing, my daughter wasn't feeling well on the drive last night and consequently wasn't feeling like camping was a good idea. I had to keep the faith for both of us that it would all work out.

Yeah, it was touch and go for a while, but there was a moment -- after we'd finished our delicious breakfast sandwiches and crawled back in the tent to relax under the bright blue sky -- when my daughter remarked about how much she loved the feeling of relaxing in the tent. We all concurred. And in that moment, every little thing was all right...

No More Lonely Nights

This afternoon the kids and I decided to go to the Christmas tree farm and get a tree. The weather was relatively mild, there was a bit of snow on the ground, and we were all excited and proud of ourselves for getting it together earlier than we usually do in the tree department.

We had such a nice time picking one out, cutting it down, and taking it home to decorate it. We all got along, and for the first time, it didn't feel like anything was missing. It felt like it was enough that the three of us were getting our tree together.

On the way home, there was some kind of old countdown on the radio, and this song from Paul McCartney struck me and stayed in my head for hours afterward:

No more lonely nights
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there

May I never miss the thrill of being near you
And if it takes a couple of years
To turn your tears to laughter
I will do what I feel to be right

No more lonely nights
Never be another
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No I'll never go away

Yes I know what I feel to be right
No more lonely nights
Never be another
No more lonely nights
You're my guiding light
Day or night I'm always there
And I won't go away until you tell me so
No I'll never go away
I won't go away until you tell me so
No I'll never go away
No more lonely nights, no no...

Someday I know that my nights will again be filled in a different, delicious way, but for now, I am content to have the light that shines from within and the light of my children to light up my nights.

That, and for the next few weeks, our beautiful Christmas tree...