The Days are Long but the Years are Short

If you haven't ever watched the "Days are Long, but the Years are Short" video by Gretchen Rubin, you owe it to yourself to watch it.  It's so true.  

Anyway, that's all I could think as I tromped through the woods where I grew up this weekend with Flannery and my niece.  "The days are long, but the years are short." 

That day had been especially long, with me getting up early to get Flanna ready to take Xmas portraits with my niece that morning, and then going to my parents' house to hang out until a party we had at 4 that afternoon. But what made it seem eons long was that I got a horrible migraine with an aura around lunchtime.  It was so awful that I ended up turning all the lights out and laying on the couch with a towel over my eyes to block out any speck of light, while the girls played.   That was not at all what I had planned for our fun experience that day!!  And then, finally, the medicine actually kicked in and I felt well enough to go outside with the kiddos, thank goodness!

And as we walked through the woods and found fallen trees that we have climbed and balanced on year after year, that are getting more and more decayed and interesting, I realized that the girls were just so. grown. up.  That their chubby cheeks and cute tendency to want me to play with them were passing away, replaced by lanky long legs and funny phrases like, "OMG," and "Mo-om!," and "I don't need help!"

And so I took some cute photos and videos.  And tried to document the changes since last year.  And as we walked back along the trail to the house, I remembered all the times I had walked that trail as a skinny daydreaming 8 year old, when time seemed to go so slowly, and a day held endless potential.  And I hoped that it was that way for these girls--that to them, this one day of being silly and discovering strange things in the woods, wasn't just one tiny memory for them, but a long string of happy moments in a magical quiet beautiful place, that will stick with them as these years fly by.  

finding good walking sticks by the hut

the "toilet tree" is still there!  (don't worry--it's never been used as a toilet, hah!)

scaling a fallen tree

Can you believe this flower is blooming in December??

What was your favorite thing to do during the long long days of your childhood?