Restless

This time of the year I am almost always restless. Oh, who am I kidding, I am always a little restless. I am perpetually torn between the desire to stay home and enjoy life's simple pleasures, and the wide-eyed desire to get out and explore. Of course, pregnant with two small children, travel isn't really in the cards at the moment, so we've been going on lots of little outings. Last night we packed a little picnic and headed for a nearby lake for dinner and a walk. There's something about being near water that almost instantly relaxes me.

I crave novelty. I have frequently described myself as being distracted by bright shiny objects. Novelty is as crucial to my well-being as healthy food, exercise and sleep. I think that is one of the reasons I love to travel. I love seeing new and interesting things and getting out and exploring the unknown is one of the easiest ways of accomplishing that. I'm a big fan of grand adventures and have, on many occasions, reordered my life on a whim just to shake things up a bit.

That kind of novelty is on hold for a while, and I am fine with that. I really love this calmer, more stable phase of my life, although one of the biggest challenges of motherhood so far has been reconciling my restless soul with my desire for the more domestic pleasures of life. More and more I am finding the answer lies in refocusing my lens, narrowing in on the little moments of humour and beauty that make up my everyday existence. The bright orange sunrise that streams through my window each morning, a picnic by the lake in jackets and boots, the limitless creativity that accompanies childhood with it's paintings of mermaids and rainbows and pink water buffaloes named "Kitty."

Someday it may be time for high adventure on the open sea, but for now I am content to stay where I have landed and enjoy the view.

Spring!

The weather is finally warming up here in Minneapolis and it feels like long time coming. It felt like a rough winter, although I'm not sure it was actually colder than average. We celebrated spring a little this week with a visit to the Como Park Conservatory in St Paul, where spring is in full bloom. Grandpa had the day off from work so he came with us. We packed a picnic of ham salad sandwiches, potato chips and fruit and ate it in the cafe.




The spring flower show is always good for my soul. It will be a month or so before spring really hits its stride outdoors, and this is always such a beautiful reminder of what is to come. It's amazing how new it all seems after a winter of black and white, like a long forgotten treasure.