Don't Wait to Do the Small Things

They sat close to the edge of the main road into our town, so we passed them frequently. Somehow, though, and I don’t remember why, they became our steps; me and my mom’s. For years we’d imagine why they were there and who built them. Perhaps they weren’t built at all and just magically appeared one day. Or maybe, equally magical, they grew up like the grass all around, always a part of the landscape, long before a road was forged alongside.

We’d talk about climbing them, these steps to nowhere, but we were always on our way somewhere; school, the store, back home again. As time went on we noticed them with less frequency and talked about them even less than that.

And then one day, when I was 8 or 9, on our way into town, my mom stopped suddenly, and pulled right over on the side of the road in front of those steps. I wondered for a moment what she was doing, if something was wrong, but she stepped out of the car with a, “Come on out.” So I quickly followed.

“Pretty soon you’ll be too old to want to climb these steps with me. Even the idea will embarrass you. But not yet. You’re not too old yet.” She said.

For several minutes we took turns climbing those steps. I raced up, surveyed the view from the top, which was really no different than from the bottom. I hopped, skipped, and jumped back down. She walked up, looked down at me with a smile, and returned to our starting place. We climbed them together, hand in hand. Then we got back in the car and continued on our way, the steps fading into the distance as the miles stretched between us.

The steps still remain on that grassy hill and I pass them occasionally. Each time I do I think back with fondness to the day we turned our talk into action. And I think with fondness of the woman who was wise enough to take five minutes to do a seemingly frivolous thing her little girl has never forgotten.

Lauren is a SAHM of three who realized a couple of years ago that trying to make other people think she has it all together is exhausting and ridiculous. Due to her epiphany she began the blog, Oh, Honestly! where she shares her real life (messy house, meltdowns, and all) in hopes to inspire others to drop their act as well. When she’s not blogging, Lauren can be found breaking up fights, sneaking chocolate in the pantry, and talking about how cute her kids are. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, and Instagram