Today after a long day at work I must not have been in my right frame of mind. I don't know what possessed me to suggest to the girls that we take a two mile plus hike. Goodness knows that any other time I've had a long day I have no more energy than that required to slump on the couch until it's time to drag myself to bed. Delayed spring fever maybe?
The girls had no idea what was in store for them. I just told them to get their shoes on and said "Let's go." Queries about our destination were answered with a vague "You'll see when we get there." kept them trudging along.
During the walk we kept ourselves entertained. Checking out the strange writing on the sidewalk, playing super spy behind the tall oak trees, finding a lost cell phone and calling the owner so that they might retrieve it from a local shop, checking out the birds as they watched us in return, admiring the different homes and their flowers in bloom. Just plain enjoying the evening as we walked merrily on our way.
Just as we were nearing our secret destination little legs were getting tired, children began to wonder if we would ever reach our destination. Quite confident in my choice of locales I smiled and said "Trust me, when we get there, it will all be worth it."
Our destination? The local ice cream shop, where the final product is processed just across the street and brought over on hand carts to the store. The girls were pleasantly surprised. Their eyes widened in awe from the variety of the selections to choose from. Important decisions were made. After all one does not choose indiscriminately after having walked all that way. Le Artiste... Cookies and Cream. Boo-boo... Vanilla with sprinkles of course! Me... A bottle of water that ended up being shared with both children.
As we were walking home, le Artiste turns to me and says, "Your right Mom. It was worth it."
Yes, sharing the walk together was definitely worth it.
