Friday, April 6, 2012

Make Some Memories

This morning I woke up quite a bit earlier to get a head start on the morning commute and hopefully an earlier start to a half day of work. It was the normal routine, shower, shave, coffee, etc. But this morning had a different, familiar feel to it. As I backed out of the garage a sense of calmness and deep satisfaction overwhelmed me. It wasn't until I was on the highway that I figured out what kind of memories I had of mornings like this.

Just before the sun was rising I was passed by a car that had a family of four in it. In the back seat were two kids rummaging through a fast food bag probably digging through and handing out the breakfast they got for the ride. This really brought back some great memories of family vacations. Waking before dawn, before the sun even thought about waking up, helping my Dad meticulously pack the car, the birds chirping so loud it was almost piercing at times, the morning dew all over the car and that cool morning air. It was an awkward feeling, a feeling of almost sickness because you were up so early but you were so fired up about the vacation that you couldn't stand it. I remember my parents rounding up us kids and taking one last walk through the house making sure everything was turned off and put away and locked and safeguarded. I remember being old enough to ride co captain on that first leg of the early morning trip pretending to know where we were, probably talking my Dads ear off, wondering why some houses never mowed their yard, and anxiously awaiting that first stop of the morning.....MCDONALDS!!!

We would always stop at a McDonalds about 2 -3 hours into the trip for breakfast. This is were we would get out and stretch and start waking up to take on the day. This is where me and my sisters would get in to our first round of trouble because we would get all giddy and slap happy and annoy Mom and Dad. This is where we would say stupid words that would stick with us for years. This is where memories were made.

As I watched this family pass me this morning I hoped that that little bag of breakfast would bring as much joy and happiness and memories as it brought us.

Happy Easter everybody, make some memories.


Photo by Leo Patrone
Kinfolk Magazine



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