Take the Slow Way Home

heading home from the park

Flannery always wants to walk home from school in the afternoons, but unfortunately, I'm usually driving from work to pick her up.  On Friday, she asked if we could drive the car home, walk back to school, and then walk home.  Hah!  Needless to say, that did not happen, but I love that she loves the scenic route home!

And the funniest thing, though it can drive me crazy when we're in a hurry, is when she walks backwards, or on every crack, or toe to heel, or balances on the curbs as we go.

I remember being a kid, and going on a long walk with my sister and mom, and on the way back home, I tried to only look up at the sky the whole way home, and not to look down even once.  It was such a challenge, and I had to focus so closely, and I remember really enjoying the way the sky stayed still while I kept moving.  I try to remember that day when Flanna is darting left and right and wanting to "follow the tar lines" on the street in their zig-zagging pattern as we walk to school.  My mom indulged me--and it was such a neat experience, so why not indulge Flanna's silly way of walking here and there?

And when do we lose that desire to walk backwards all the way home?  When do we stop paying attention to whether we step on a crack or on only the black tiles in the hallway at school?  I'm going to try to enjoy these cute days where just walking can be interesting!  And hopefully I won't let it drive me crazy!  :)


What about you, do you remember when you couldn't help but gallop or skip or balance on curbs when you were walking somewhere?