Muscle Memory & Senses

Today was a strange day. I had a short list of errands to run this afternoon. I switched cars with Matt in order to accommodate all I needed to accomplish. 

My first stop was the kids' school. We had one remaining piece of equipment that I have been holding onto. In an effort to slowly get our home purged to get it on the market, it was time to pass it on. Thankfully the school district is always open to donations and I love the thought that Oliver's chair will be used by fellow classmates. I parked where I always park in the bus drop off lane and was buzzed in. The new receptionist doesn't know who I am and seemed quite confused. Thankfully the school nurse was aware of my arrival and offered to help me lift the activity chair out of my van. We got it out and I pushed it through the school's front door as I have thousands of times before. However this time the chair was empty.

I then popped into the pharmacy that we used exclusively for Waverly and Oliver. It is an old school pharmacy capable of compounding. They know our family well. The smell of the shop and waiting in line to ask for McNeil was reminiscent of the hundreds of times I stood there to pick up prescriptions for the kids.

I made my way over to Jill's House to drop something off. I searched out the kids' pavers donated by friends in their honor. The warm fire greeted me and I thought about the many times I have walked through those doors with one or both of the kids for an overnight stay or day camp.

Our senses are powerful. The mere motion of pushing a wheeled chair, smelling familiar odors and feeling the warmth of a fireplace was enough to catapult me back in time to what used to be. The simple, yet straining, task of lifting a chair from my van felt oddly familiar. My muscles are no longer used to the action, yet the memory was present.

Since the new year, I have spent more time thinking about my future and less time reflecting on my past. I turn to remember and I see mighty peaks and valleys. I look ahead and the terrain looks rather flat and sparse. Hoping to find some lovely hills and plains along the way.