A sense of glorious freedom

Spending a day at the Opryland Hotel and enjoying a day at the spa, I thought back to how life has changed so much in such a short amount of time. Mainly, the responsibilities I have now that I didn't have even just a few years ago.

Becoming a parent, you trade one life for a brand new one. You trade sleeping in on Saturday morning for early pancake breakfasts together and playing on the driveway. You trade intimate dinners for family-friendly restaurants that are known for speedy service. You trade coffee with friends for mommy play groups with gold fish crackers to munch on.

Life is richer now, but also very different.

One of the most "free spirited" times in my life can be summed up with a single memory. While living in Seattle I would take lunch breaks to go visit my horse. I would put on her halter, take her out in the fields and trails, and ride bareback for 15 or 20 minutes before racing back to the barn and speeding back to work. I laughed at others I saw on the trails who would look quizzically at the girl on the horse, still wearing a skirt and work clothes, travelling down the path without a care in the world.

I miss those moments to.

These days, my "freeness" is spent at an hour or two at a time quietly shopping. It's a two hour naptime. Once in a while, it's sitting at a restaurant alone-- strangely the same thing I dreaded in my single years. Sometimes, it's a weekend working out of town. But these freedoms are different ones than I used to enjoy.

I know these moments, this time of consantly being needed and the task of keeping him safe, is only for a short while and I enjoy the things I get to do with an inquisitive child who soaks it all up with glee. But it's funny how life changes so suddenly.