Malls and mountains.

Regarding the beauty of malls.

Come here. I ordered brusquely. Reluctantly, he trotted over to the edge of our bed.

Get in. I ordered. Reluctantly, he climbed in beside me. I wrapped my arms around his 6-year old pajama-clad body.

If you could do anything you wanted today, what would you do? I asked.

He thought for a long second. Go to the mall. He said.

Huh? I said. Why is that?

To do the rollercoaster! He said with surprise.

Malls have rollercoasters? I asked.

Yes! He said. Of course they do!

Okay, I said. And that’s why you’d want to go to a mall?

And also, he said, they have little balls to eat.

Huh? I said.

Yeah! he said. They have little balls that are different colors, and you can eat them. You just put money into the machine and you get a ball. I think it costs one penny.

Okay, I said. This is what they have at malls?

Yes! he said with exasperation. And also, there’s people who stand on top of a piece of wood that’s way high in the air, and then they jump out on a rope, and they land on another piece of wood that’s high in the air.

Why do they do that? I asked.

So people can watch them! he said.

Sometimes I feel like my perceptions of something are different than other peoples’, I said sadly, I did not realize those things are what malls were all about.

Yeah. He said confidently. That’s why I want to go to the mall.

Catching up with Banksy.

By 7am, multiple art and construction projects are either underway or in the planning stages. Every single apparatus on the table, according to the experts I’ve talked to, insist that seven pairs of scissors amongst two artists is the norm.

Regarding

A 12-year old helps his mum make a breakfast-y concoction involving oats. The sight and sound of them bantering makes my heart warm, and also the oven is getting warm, although probably not anywhere close to the temperature it should be, as it is dying a slow death. Perhaps I’ll replace it next decade.

Peer pressure.

We eat together cheerfully. One of our party holds an edible stirring straw thing in one hand, coffee in the other, and with a perfect mix of elegance and chunkiness, noisily imagines it to be a cigarette. Are non-smoking, anti-tobacco moms allowed to do this? It is legal? I seem to the only one in the room concerned with the legalities or ethical quandaries involved. I reluctantly join in. May our family remain tobacco-free.

Evergreen, ever yellow.

I take a walk, with my favorite outdoor coffee mug filled with coffee, to inspect our growing trees. The mug was given to me by my brother. I affectionally refer to him as “Admiral.” The mug is yellow. The trees are green and growing.

Basically checkers, but easier?

Our 12- and 15-year old battle each other over a chess board while their younger brethren continue art and half-watch, half-listen to a program about being “Safe in the storm” on the telly. It has 558 views.

Pre-hike.

We head out to the mountains, a place where we have a standing agreement to replenish our souls and lungs. We picnic on sandwiches and apple slices and climb trees before embarking on the ascent. A mom teaches her 3-year old son about the best locations to pee in the wild. What a mom.

Make no mistake: the driving, the preamble to hiking…these things are no less important than the hiking itself.

Hiking.

We head up the mountain. There is much stopping. It is as it should be. There is not a rush. There should be time for reflection and pausing; gazing and soaking in what’s around. Space to talk and interact and be, to be in the wild. We reach the top and lounge. Get some selfies. Imagine a rising flood racing through the Gorge. Smile. People get hungry again.

Reflections.

There is danger. There is risk. As there is with everything. There is risk in climbing narrow mountain trails with children. There is risk in staying indoors and never teaching them how to embrace, handle, and make wise decisions regarding danger and situational awareness.

I would rather help them learn to face the obstacles and paths ahead, with intelligence and discretion and eyes open, then keep them away from those things and not have them learn alongside us.

Driving.

Some nap as we head home. I listen to music and soak in the joy of being out with my family in beautiful places.

Culture.

I thrive on juxtaposition, on a rhythm based on balance. We spent a bulk of the day outdoors in the mountains, together. Now, together, we head to a theatrical production of Xanadu. Snacks at intermission are a high point for some. The music of Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra will always be a highlight for me. Experiencing together? Gold.

Good day.