It's The Simple Things

Often it is the simplest things that mean the most. It’s the small gestures, the simplistic activities, the small but heartfelt sentiments. Monday night, there was a meteor shower. This meteor shower could produce as many as one thousand meteors per hour, or it could be a dud. Although the universe did not put on a phenomenal display, I had one of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.

On a whim, I invited GramBarb and Jenna over for hamburgers, and we watched the meteor shower. Now dear reader, you must remember that often we are in bed before dark. We get up around 5-5:30 in the morning and go to bed around 8:30-9 at night. One bib overall wearing wonder buns gets grumpy if he doesn’t get his beauty rest. However, he broke his bedtime routine on Monday night and humored me by staying up until 11:00. I kept things simple. We had burgers, GramBarb made her delicious potato salad, and Jenna “made” a beautiful strawberry pie, which she picked up from Eat N’ Park. We had an entertaining conversation at the dinner table, laughing while Jenna recounted slipping and falling in afterbirth while helping to deliver her pigs. Only a farm family can discuss labor, delivery, afterbirth, and what afterbirth reminds one of while eating dinner. We then moved our party outside to enjoy cocktails on the porch.

We talked and laughed as the sun went down, and we awaited the night sky to dazzle us with a phenomenal display. Once it was finally fully dark, we laid blankets and pillows on the driveway and lay looking up at the sky. The laughter and conversation continued throughout the evening. The Bean gets hyper and funny when she is too tired. She finds everything funny, giggles like a maniac, and bounces off the wall right before she crashes. Jenna and I had the pleasure of sharing a blanket with the said jumping bean.

Eric and GramBarb shared a blanket, and Eric was to my left. He kept whispering inappropriate jokes in my ear and complaining about GramBarb having her phone out. GramBarb has an app that tells the constellation, star, or satellite within its view when you point your phone to the sky. Every few minutes, she gave us single word updates, “plane,” “satellite,” and “North star.” This gave The Bibbed Wonder comedic fodder. He also entertained us with Uranus jokes like an ill-behaved middle school schoolboy. Sigh, he is exhausting.

Although the meteor shower was not a phenomenal display, we all got to see a few meteors. Jenna saw her first shooting star, and we had fun laying on a blanket in the driveway, watching the universe at work, and enjoying each other’s company. It did not escape me that Jenna, Jordan, Eric, and GramBarb would never have spent an evening laying on a blanket on a hard driveway waiting for something that might be good or might not if it weren’t for me. It was clear to me at that moment that these were my people. They do ridiculous things just to make me happy. They give up sleep, are okay with being uncomfortable, and spend their time with me because I have a whimsical idea. I love my peeps. The simple things make me realize I am blessed to be surrounded by good people.

On this first day of June, I hope you realize who your peeps are and can appreciate the small things. As always, dear reader, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the simple things, and keep washing your hands.