Walking my children to school has been one of my chief joys over the years. I’ll admit I have been very fortunate in that we have always lived within about a 15-minute walk from the school. And B”H, I have mostly worked at home or had later-starting jobs, allowing me this luxury. Years back, it was a wonderful stroll, with a baby or two in the stroller. Luckily, there were no hills there, so I was able to load up my stroller and go!
At one point, I was babysitting in my home, and I would meet some of my “clients” on my walk. Then, one of my bigger little ones had to get out and walk, or we had to get innovative. I actually had many days walking with my double stroller fully loaded – two in the normal seats on the bottom, and two balanced on the hood. It just added to our fun.
For my children, it really was fun. We would use the time (after settling any little squabbles as to who was sitting where, holding on here or there, etc.) to talk about our day and what was going on in school. There we were without a phone, just talking, shmoozing, watching out for any wildlife.
Often we were treated to a “birdie show,” as dozens of birds flew at once from rooftop to tree, or vice versa. Occasionally we spied a squirrel, and watched him try to get out of our sight, somehow managing to be on the other side of the tree. Sometimes, we tricked him and separated; at least some of us saw him!
There were dogs, cats, snails, bugs, tree stumps, flower gardens and tidy lawns. There was always something a bit unusual to point out and discuss. Lacking that, I am pretty good at coming up with a story to tell. And there is always my old favorite pastime – reviewing times tables!
Although for me it was a pleasure, I felt a little bad, thinking that everyone who passed us, imprisoned in a car, might be jealous of me. I was somewhat disabused of that notion after the following encounter, a real eye-opener for me.
As I was on my way home from school, a neighbor passed by and slowed down to say hello. Noticing her little boy in the van with her, I asked, “How come Asher isn’t going to school today?”
“He just wasn’t ready on time, so I took him along for the ride,” my friend explained. “Now he can have breakfast and then I’ll bring him in, a bit late. He is only in pre-school.”
I have to digress a second here. In my mind, taking the car out for little rides was inefficient and to be avoided at all costs. True, the ride to school took about five minutes, the walk 15. But you had to load up, do the car seat, etc., so the time saved seemed so small that it fell into my “wastefulness” category. I have to admit, however, that lots of things that most people think nothing of go there. “Oh my,” I blurted out, “you are going to school twice? I would never do that!”
She looked at me with my stroller all loaded, and a child or two walking with me. She said, “Believe me, I would never do that!”
Her response shocked me at first, but afterwards, gave me food for thought. We each have our own priorities and pleasures, and need to be ever mindful of that.
Today, I had one of the best nachas-grams I have ever gotten, proving (as if any proof was needed) how very valuable this time together is. I had plans to visit my parents, thus unable to go on my customary excursion. As one of my girls was on her way out the door, I told her she was getting a little chocolate bar (something I am very sparing about) as a sort of consolation prize – since I couldn’t walk her. Immediately she thrust the bar at me and said, “Here is the chocolate. Please walk us!” I smiled and went back into the house.
My next daughter was on her way out. “Malky, listen to this,” I shared with her. “Penina was on the way out, and I told her that the chocolate was a consolation prize, since I couldn’t walk her and she…”
Malky suddenly thrust her chocolate bar at me as she interrupted. “Here! Please walk us!”
“Hodu laHashem ki tov, ki l’olam chasdo,” is all I can say. Yes, at least when I walk with my children, I am there when I spend it.
You can’t wire it or send it, gotta be there when you spend it.