It doesn’t take much to make Summer and Emma happy. Crumpled paper, bubbles, bath time, watching the birds playing outside our bedroom window, a bowlful of cereal make them giggle with glee. When I see them that way, I hope for the same sense of wonder. I want to be able to laugh and take delight in the simplest of things all the time. I’m grateful because my girls remind me and show me how. When the bills pile up and the amount of chores seem endless, stopping to smell the roses does not come naturally. But once I hear Summer and Emma playing and laughing together, everything else becomes a faint background and I’m able to take joy in the moment. It’s just that simple.
The past weekend was filled with moments of simple joys. Let me share them with you in photos…
Paper. The past few days, I’ve been working on some papercutting and calligraphy. I have a long way to go. I still have to practice the fundamentals of calligraphy and work on more intricate papercutting but I’m happy to learn and also experiment. Here are some of what I worked on this weekend:
Coffee and Books. Even while watching the kids, I’m so happy I got to catch up on my reading, usually accompanied by a comforting cup of coffee.
We hung out at a Mexican place called Madeca at Podium on Sunday afternoon, where Summer had a Mangga Paletas (Mango Ice pop). Kayo and I had really good cappuccinos from Wild Flour. I happily sat and read while Summer and Emma played and watched some Sesame Street on Kayo’s iPad.
The paletas were yummy and I thought these pillows were cute! There weren’t very many people at the place so it was quite peaceful and relaxing, just perfect for reading.
Walking and Trips to the Park. Later on, we took a pleasant stroll outside and went to a small park a few blocks away from Podium. Not a lot people know it, maybe because we don’t really talk about it, but Kayo and I like to walk. Some of our most meaningful conversations and most memorable times together happened while walking. If we could easily and safely walk to where we want to go, we would walk. In fact, when we were newly married and had no car, Kayo and I would walk to work together every morning (Our offices were at the same neighborhood) and I treasure those times. It’s a little more difficult now that we have kids (and baby paraphernalia) to carry around but we still try to take them out walking once in a while. We usually go to parks. Thankfully, we have pretty decent parks in Metro Manila. It’s a lot of fun every time we do!
While walking, I told Kayo I want him to take me to Paris. And just as we were walking around a corner, he spotted a radio tower up ahead, just above the park where we’re headed and said, “Honey, we’re here!” It’s a far cry from the Eiffel tower but he sure did give me and the kids a grand time!
We all shared two cronuts, watched the little birds twittering by and laughed together because it’s impossible not to with Summer and Emma around. It was also refreshing to see Summer look at everything with wonder. She kept saying “Whaddatt?” and pointed at every little thing she saw.
It started raining at sundown so we grabbed the kids and ran to the nearest restaurant to have dinner and continue having a pleasant evening together. It was really just that but it was moment after moment of pure joy.
That night, before going to sleep, I thanked Kayo for another beautiful weekend. I’m really lucky to have someone to share the simplest things in life with and feel very rich. He may have not taken me to Paris (yet!) but he did give me and the kids a memorable time together.
I hope that for the rest of this week, I may continue to see wonder and beauty in the mundane. May the little things make me giggle with glee very much like how Summer and Emma do. May I always be thankful and never lose joy in simplicity.
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