Only 15 Minutes

It's Tuesday, probably the most hated day of the week for me because I still have items on my 'to-do' list from Monday, and I feel that I'm not even near the end of the week, let alone the weekend. I awoke this morning before the rooster up the hill called to the other creatures of the neighborhood, still seeing the moon shining, feeling as though I've never really known sleep. My day progressed as all days do during the work week: rush, rush, rush, go to the bathroom, rush, remember to brush my teeth and holy cow it's four o'clock in the afternoon!

In all my exhaustion and longing for a boring documentary to ease me into the arms of real slumber, my daughter wakens from her afternoon nap. It would be an understatement to state that she is excited to be alive!! I mean honest thankfulness at her ability to live, to see another day, to play, play, play. And, at this point, I'm half comatose , and very close to shaking hands with death if he can promise eternal sleep.

It only takes 15 minutes.

Instantly, somehow I remembered an article I read a year ago in one of many magazines I half-heartedly subscribe to. In said article, one mother exclaimed that it only took 15 minutes a day, outside, with her young children allowing them to exert their "happiness for life". She also remarked that she knew she could survive 15 minutes of outside, personal interaction without dropping dead of exhaustion.*

I knew that I could withstand 15 minutes of the pure and utter happiness exuding from my daughter. I've trained for long-distance races, I can handle an incredibly happy two year old for 15 minutes.

So, I made a plan. We would go exploring at Rancho San Rafael, a local park down the street from our house, for at least 15 minutes. We would look for anything cool, not cool, exciting, not exciting; we would just explore for 15 minutes and come home. Amazingly, our nature hike (which we do frequently; however, not when I'm to the point of literal fatigue) became 45 minutes of total pleasure. My daughter and I had an amazing afternoon. We found acorns, dried leaves of all colors (imagine my daughter racing to each fallen leaf only to grab and exclaim the color of the leaf - this activity in itself could have lasted hours and needless to say I was grateful). We discovered where a pair of squirrels live, we saw a bunny, and even in this chilly, fall weather, we chased one lizard. The wind blew on our faces, our cheeks turning red, noses running; our souls cleansed and somehow, by the end of the 15 minute nature hike turned 45 minute one of a kind memory, my energy had returned, the excitement for living was seen glowing in my eyes, my hair was energized and I easily turned a cold shoulder to death.

It only takes getting outside for 15 minutes a day to change not only our children's behavior, but our own. It only takes 15 minutes, which usually turns into 45 minutes, of fresh air to impact the remainder of our evening. I'm going to post this motto on my fridge (on second thought, I may consider posting it on my coffee pot) to remind myself that I can do 15 minutes and I would prefer 45.

*I believe this mother also published a book on this very topic; however, again, I cannot (especially because it is Tuesday) remember this mother's name of the title of her book. This will have to suffice as a just citation.