Making Good Time

/ Ann Coleman

064A2666-4A53-49B9-A8C9-E76F4CF47CC0I love strawberries, and I especially love fresh-picked strawberries.  When our children were young, we used to take them to a “pick your own” fruit farm and come back with buckets of strawberries.  My in-laws also had a strawberry patch behind their house, and for years we made sure we visited when the strawberries were ripe.  My mother-in-law graciously allowed me to help myself to her berries, which were always delicious.  But after my in-laws passed away and our children grew up, I stopped finding the time to go strawberry-picking.

This year, I was intrigued when my daughter-in-law gave me some strawberries that she and my granddaughter picked from a nearby farm.  They were very tasty, and she said the farm was only a twenty-minute drive away.  I’ve been busy lately, and at first I didn’t think I could possibly find the time to go pick strawberries.  But I also remembered all those other years I wanted to go and decided I was too busy, and how much I regretted it afterwards.  The strawberry season is a short one.

73FEBAA1-F39C-4314-8A2D-4E3654B318A2So last Tuesday I put on my oldest pair of tennis shoes, drove myself to the farm and picked a big box full of ripe strawberries. (I would have picked two boxes, but my back told me it was time to stop stooping over.)  I ate a few dozen, shared some with my family, cleaned another bowl-full to keep in the fridge, made a strawberry pie, and froze the rest.  Not a bad result for a quick morning’s work.

Yesterday my grandson spent the afternoon at our house, and his parents were also going to drop his baby brother off at dinnertime so we could watch both of them while they enjoyed a quick date night.  Just when it was time for me to start cooking our dinner, my grandson decided it was time to dance to one of his favorite songs.  I watched him for a few minutes, complimented his moves, and edged toward the kitchen.  “Please play the song again!” he pleaded, then added, “and dance with me!”  I hesitated, knowing that it really was time to get dinner going before the baby arrived.

But just as I was opening my mouth to tell him I didn’t have time to dance right now, I suddenly realized that the time is soon coming when he won’t want to dance to “Baby Shark,” or any other song, with his grandma.  And so I played the song again, took his hands, and we danced.  Or to be more accurate, he danced and I jerked around like someone who’s receiving mild electric shocks.  Dinner was late, but we had fun, and I know I made the right choice.

The truth is that life will always be busy, and there will always be problems demanding our attention.  But sometimes we have to stop being so sensible and serious, and just do what makes us and those we love happy.  The world won’t stop if we indulge our inner child now and then, and who knows?  We might just be a better person for it too.

95 thoughts on “Making Good Time”

  1. I love this! It is true that the inner child needs to play. I’m glad she was able to join the fun! Dinner a little late is not the end of the world and just think of the memories made!!

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    • Thanks, Janis! It’s so easy to get caught up in our schedules that we sometimes overlook the opportunities right in front of us. Or at least I do….so I’m going to try to do better from now on!

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  4. The dancing part made me laugh out loud but it’s true, regardless of how we look in the moment it’s better to enjoy the moment and the people. Sometimes it’s these moments we can look back on and smile.

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    • I’d like to say I’m a good dancer, but that would be lie! Luckily, my grandson is too young to notice or comment, he just had a good time. And you’re right, these are exactly the moments we’ll look back on and smile. Thanks for commenting!

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    • Thanks, Bev! Those memories are so special, aren’t they? My in-laws maintained a small truck farm on their property, and I remember helping make pickles from the cucumbers, the corn she’d serve straight from the field, the fresh green beans, and most of all, those strawberries!

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  7. Just when you think you are too busy to take a moment for a guilty pleasure, a pastime of old or a young child or relative, is when you need to take a moment to enjoy. Work and obligations will always be there waiting when you are done having fun. Good on you for making memories Ann. Allan

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    • I completely agree, Allan! It’s so easy to say we’re too busy, but the truth is, we’ll always be busy! If something is important, then we just need to make time for it. And dancing with grandchildren….even strawberry picking if that’s what we love….is important!

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  10. Good on you. I would rather be remembered for strawberries and dancing with abandon than a set dinner time or a clean house. What’s that saying – clean enough to be healthy, dirty enough to be happy.

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  11. There’s nothing like freshly-picked strawberries straight from the field. As a child, I only did this with my parents occasionally. I do remember how delicious they were, though. More often than not, we’d go blackberry picking in the woods – easier on the back than picking strawberries from the ground. People often grow strawberries in pots now. We have some like that at the garden project that I go to.

    How charming that your young grandson asked you to dance and even better that you joined him. He must have been a delighted (and lucky) little boy. You are so right – soon, they get past that age where they want to spend time with us, so the times we have with them are so precious. That’s probably something he’ll fondly remember doing with you as he gets older. Happy memories. Lovely post, Ann 💐

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    • Thanks so much, Ellie! I do hope he’ll have good memories of the time he’s spent at our house. When I was a child, I loved going to my grandparent’s house, and that’s what I hope to recreate for our own grandchildren. And maybe I should try blackberry picking….it sounds much easier on the back! I love the idea of growing strawberries in elevated pots, too!

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  14. So true! I am glad you took the time to dance with your grandson. And to go to the u pick strawberry place. The fresh picked berries are soooo good and like a different plant than the ones for sale at the grocery store.

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    • They really do taste so much better, don’t they? I don’t know if it’s because the ones at the store were picked while they were still green, or if it’s just how they were stored. But grocery store strawberries never taste nearly as good as the ones fresh out of the garden. Same with tomatoes!

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    • Feel free to laugh, Anabel! I’m sure you would have if you’d been there to see…. And heck, if I’d been thinking ahead, I would have videotaped it and made a little extra spending money!

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  16. Well, Ann, you have inspired me to look into getting some fresh strawberries. What a fabulous way to sweeten life. I love your post! (Sharing my painting of strawberries below)

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  19. This is was such a nice strawberry story! And sage words of advice – for workaholics especially. What I like is that you reminded us that taking time off to slow down and enjoy life need not always entail some sort of holiday away from home; the option to get off the busy lane and go do something fun and sweet is always there for everyone.

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    • Yes! I so often make the mistake of thinking, “I’ll relax and do the things I love when I’m on vacation!” But the truth is there is always time to do the little things that make us happy, if we’re just willing to make them a priority. I cam so close to telling my grandson “I have to cook dinner, the baby is coming,” when he asked me to dance. But then I suddenly saw so clearly how soon he won’t want to dance with me at all….. talk about divine intervention!

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  20. Thanks for the reminder to seize those special moments in life, Ann. Growing up in California, we had a small strawberry plot in our back yard. The berries you pick yourself are always the sweetest, aren’t they?

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    • They truly are! It’s been five days, and the ones I picked are still fresh and sweet! The ones from the grocery store don’t taste as good to start with, and they go bad in about two days. I’m jealous you had a strawberry patch in your own yard! My mother-in-law’s was the closest I ever came to that.

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  21. How wonderful this is Ann! Two of my favourite things, strawberries and dancing. Good on you for finding the joy in the moment. It’s what we need to do every day! Keep on smiling and dancing my friend. Loved this post. 🍓❤️

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  25. Loveeeeeee dancing- kitchen especially. The stove can wait. Love that you went and picked strawberries. We missed the season this year… nothing better than fresh picked berries.

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    • Thanks, Jessica! It’s been far too many years since I last went strawberry picking, and I’m so glad I did it this year. As for dancing with my grandson…any time with him is time well spent, I believe. Thanks for the comment!

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  26. Ann, our “sensible” side will always find a reason to curtail our playful inner child. That’s why it’s so important that we turn a deaf ear to it and allow ourselves to have some silly fun! Good for you! I expect your grandson will one day have plenty of good memories of dancing with grandma — and nobody is going to starve if dinner doesn’t show up at a particular time, right?

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    • They absolutely didn’t! Dinner was late, and we didn’t all sit down together to eat it, but no one went hungry and no one minded. But the look on my grandson’s face as I danced with him was worth it all!

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  27. This was such a wonderful post!!! The wisdom here is so crucial to living a good life. We simply have to ‘make time’ for these special moments in life. There will always be something that demands our attention, but unless we pay attention to these ‘invitations to dance’, we will have missed so much of life.

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    • Thank you, Linda! That’s what I’ve grown to believe too. We can always make time for what is important, and we’re never sorry when we do. Looking back, it’s almost always the things I DIDN’T do that I regret, not the things I did do!

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    • Me too! That’s what I did with the ones I didn’t eat or share. I love to put strawberries, vanilla yogurt and ice in a blender…makes a delicious “shake” without all the calories!

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  32. You’re an inspiration, Ann. Now I want to go strawberry picking and dance with the grandson. “The truth is that life will always be busy… sometimes we have to stop being so sensible and serious, and just do what makes us and those we love happy.” What perfect advice! Thank you.

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  33. There’s nothing better than picking fresh produce. We have a strawberry farm near, and I missed the season this year simply because I wasn’t paying attention. That’s all right — I had your experience to enjoy! As for dancing, kitchen dancing is the best. You’ve reminded me of a favorite song, filled with the same sort of wisdom you’ve shared in this post. It’s worth noting that the children in the video are her own.

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    • Thanks for sharing that! I love that song, too, but the video of it is great…especially knowing those beautiful girls are hers. And yes, the time to dance is often in our own home, with the little ones who want to dance with us!

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  34. Good advice. I think I’v neglected my inner child over these last few years, EVERYTHING has been so serious. But maybe this summer I can re-connect with her again. Off to look for a strawberry farm, if not literal then figurative.

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    • I hope you do manage to reconnect. I honestly think it’s the only way to survive these days…we can’t be serious, depressed and angry all the time, no matter how much we’re encouraged to be that way! So go find whatever your version of the strawberry farm is if you can, I say!

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  35. Dancing with grandchildren trumps fixing dinner every time! Yea for you, Ann! And also your strawberry-picking adventure inspired me to add visiting local farms and orchards to my growing list of things I want to do now that I am retired. Thank you for that. I found your blog through a comment you left on Ally’s The Spectacled Bean. It’s nice to “meet” you. Here’s to many more spontaneous adventures this summer!

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    • Thank you so much for your sweet comment and for checking out my blog! And yes, if you have time, absolutely visit your local farms and orchards. The difference in the taste of the produce is unbelievable! Also, I clicked on your name, but didn’t see a link to your blog. If you have one, I’d love to check it out. Can you provide the link? thanks!!

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  38. The first thing that attracted me to the post is a picture of strawberries. One fruit i haven’t eaten in my life and will want to🥰
    Back to your post. I am a living example of someone who became so busy in life and almost lost the touch of life. I recently made a U-turn and i am glad I did. If anyone here is so serious with life, please pause! No one gets out of life alive so why the unnecessary seriousness.
    Be like a child again and enjoy life to its fullest. Thanks.
    I joined WordPress today, spare sometime and stop by. I will appreciate likes, sharing and comments.

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  39. The strawberries look delicious and I’m sure all the more tasty because you picked them yourself. I echo your sentiment! Dance with your grandson, they grow so fast, and indulge your inner child when you can. Lovely post, Ann!

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  40. I’m coming to this post a week late having been overwhelmed of late by all those jobs I’ve just had to do before I can start living again. I do wish I’d read it a week ago. My inner child is now back but I squashed it at the point I truly needed it.

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  44. I am new to your blog, and I wanted to say how proud I am you decided to dance with your grandson! As we all know, especially even more so as we age, we are not guaranteed tomorrow – not even our grandchildren. So, take advantage of every opportunity to create a special moment/memory for you and those you love! Great post!

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