Last night I cried.

The tears just kept flowing and I couldn’t stop.  

I panicked 

Are we doing the right thing?

A beautiful house with cozy beds, soaking tubs, newly planted gardens

Neighbors who wave and smile as they pass by

Good friends

Computers humming with 24-hour internet access

Cable TV

Stainless steel appliances, washing machines, microwaves

Scheduled playdates, Gymboree, music lessons, soccer practice

Babysitters

Leaving it all 

Traffic jams

Kids screaming in the backseat

An organizer so jammed I can’t close it

A house so big I can’t clean it

Running on the same treadmill – scenery unchanging

CNN buzzing with the same stories

Books on the shelf unread, waiting

Glancing wearily at my husband, too tired to talk

I sleep 

This morning I woke to a brilliant sunrise

Coffee brewing on the galley stove

He was sitting with the girls, giggling and waking them with kisses 

I stole a smile from him as I walked out on deck

The cool breeze awoke my senses as I sat at the bow with my warm mug

I pan our surroundings – coconut palms, white beaches, a sailboat, an old wooden dock

Breathing and stretching, I listened

 Waves slapped gently against our hull

A seagull calls, breaking the silence

Clocks and schedules gone

Days spent together

We talk.  We laugh. We share

I am alive and life is simple

And then I decided…

We are doing the right thing