Moments in Minutia

Fall arrived last night, on the wings of a wind strong enough to pull our patio umbrella out of the stand. Today, it's 60 and cloud-scrubbed skies and the ground is already littered with dead leaves.

I am not ready for winter. Not. Ready. But it's impossible to do anything but sigh with delight when fall knocks on your door.

Kieran fell asleep on the way home from Trader Joe's, and he's still there, head bent low. Teyla is riding her Big Wheel in the driveway, so proud that her legs are finally long enough to reach the peddles. "Cruisin' fun!" says the Big Wheel, and Teyla says, "Mama, look at me! I can turn!"

And then she jumps off the bike and runs into the garage and says, cocky, "I want a different bike. Come on, Mom! Are you listening to me?"

(Yes, honey. But I'm writing. Hang on.)

The dappled sunlight falls on my keyboard, and the wind whispers in the limbs of the ash tree covering my head.

My groceries are defrosting where I left them in the mudroom, and I'm hungry and we all need lunch and there is laundry to do and appointments to schedule and the list never ends.

But right now? I'm going to sit in the shade and listen to the birds sing a farewell song to summer and watch my daughter ride her bike and grow a little older.

It's so easy to lose the moments in the minutia.

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I wrote this - with a mixture of glee and guilt -- for my friend Heather's new Tuesday link-up called Just Write.

The premise is simple -- just write without overthinking! And OH MY WORD, I have almost lost the ability to do that. For the past few months, I have been paralyzed by the constant clarification, editing and overthinking. Which is why I was so refreshed by Heather's call to action. (It's similar to Gypsy Mama's Five Minute Fridays, if you're looking for another place to exercise your creative muscles without working them into a knot.)

If you are playing alone with Heather, will you puh-leeze let me know by leaving me a comment here? I want to stop by your place and read what you wrote.