Connections

 

We have lived in our neighborhood for twenty- two years. We moved in when I was pregnant with my son, we needed more room, and the wonderful neighborhood, great schools, and superior Parks and Recreation department was a definite plus.

     Now with my daughter just finishing college, my son in his second year of college, I walk through the neighborhood with different eyes.  I can remember my toddlers playing hard at the park at the end of our street, or trick-or-treating at the most decorated house,  and even shrieks while chasing the ice cream truck down the street. 

    I look at the houses where some of my children's former friends have lived. Sleepovers, camp outs, or just playdates come instantly to mind. I smile. Some families have moved on, and downsized, while my husband and I (as well as a few families) have chosen to stay on.  I see a woman pushing her infant in a stroller. She is pushing determinedly, daydreaming, and her infant is out in front of her in the stroller, just as her child's life is.

    And at that moment I am not envious, but instead just marveling at the beauty of life's parallels.  Like a an old blanket, they oddly bring me comfort.