The power of the Koi pond
The videos below are fun to watch, but there’s a back story that make them even more special to me. The night before, our first at the hotel, was a particularly tough one: Avery woke up around 11 and stayed up (not crying, just refusing to sleep) for several hours, and I had a bit of a fatigue-induced temper tantrum. (“This was supposed to be our fun anniversary trip! Kids ruin everything!” I cried out to Q.)
Avery eventually went to sleep, of course, but I was still feeling tired and a bit grumpy during our early breakfast. But then the Koi pond happened. At that moment, as I watched the pure joy on Avery’s face, nothing else mattered. She was so care-free and innocent and getting so much happiness from the simplest of things that I couldn’t help but feel happy myself. At that moment, I forgot how much the night before stunk or how tired I felt – and my words about kids ruining everything couldn’t have been further from the truth.
I expect this memory to become one of the lasting ones from our trip. And the next time I feel overwhelmed or tired or just generally crushed by the weight of parenthood, I’m going to (try to) remind myself of the Koi pond.
-M