We go to the annual Orchid Extravaganza at Longwood Gardens most years. I love seeing the bright beautiful flowers in the warm greenhouse when it’s cold outside. I put the orchid show on my Winter Fun List, and we planned to go this past weekend, but none of the big kids were excited about it. Timing the push to get them to move around baby feedings, knowing the baby would probably scream in the car, just seemed…overwhelming.
But I still wanted to go, so G (nanny), the 5-year-old, the baby, and I elected to go on Wednesday afternoon. We picked up the 5-year-old at preschool at noon and started driving.
We did not get off to an auspicious start. The baby had been fussy much of the morning, and screamed for the first ten minutes of the trip. I was thinking we should probably turn around.
Then…somehow…miracle…he calmed down. He went to sleep and stayed asleep through the transfer into the Ergo carrier. He snoozed through the whole greenhouse experience. The 5-year-old was remarkably well-behaved (having two adults completely focused on him might have helped with that). So we had a really good time! I snapped lots of flower photos with the portrait mode on my iPhone. I fed the baby upon returning to the van, and then we drove most of the way back before he started screaming. At that point it seemed possible to put up with almost anything.
So we survived the baby’s longest excursion from the house. This has fortified me for more trips, which is probably a good thing, since I’ve been feeling fairly house-bound of late. It’s a reminder that even if there are rough patches, it’s generally wise to at least attempt things I’d like to do. It’s worth it to risk the trip.
Plan it and do it, eh! So proud of you, Laura!
I’d say 90% of the time when I make the effort to go somewhere/do something that seems, at first glance, to be overwhelming or inconvenient, I am glad I followed through. Unfortunately, the 10% of times it turns out to be worse than I imagined tend to inform a disproportionate amount of my lack of willpower to fight the urge to surrender to inertia and do the “easier” option. I’m continually working toward pushing through the initial resistance to just “do the thing.”
Sledding with my kids, planning a weekend away with my husband despite a pending storm, making that complicated dish that looks delicious on Instagram…almost always worth it.
What a great attitude – and so true Elisabeth 😊