My mountaintop views

           

           I’ve been reading other people’s blogs today.  Not the ones I usually read- written by other Catholic moms much like me- but blogs by women who have no children, who have lives filled with exciting worldly adventures that are nothing like my quiet domestic existence.  

I usually stick with blogs I know and bloggers I can relate to.  But once in a while, it is fun to get a peek into other people’s realities.  Realities that include rock climbing and spontaneous moves across the country and whirlwind romances that culminate in dramatic marriage proposals.  This is what I love about reading-- both fiction and blogs.  Reading opens doors that nothing else can in life.  It teaches us so much about others and about ourselves, and about how we are all so different and yet all so very, very alike too.

Getting little peeks into other people’s lives also reminds me that I really love my own quiet domestic life.  I love my little adventures—like the trip to the library with my kids this morning.  What could be more adventurous than going into a peaceful library full of retirees on a Thursday morning with five energetic children along?  It may not come with breath taking views or life changing decisions but its adventure just the same.   

Then coming home (with dozens of new books to delve into later) to get some lunch for the five energetic children?  Its an adventure, I assure you!  Picture an ordinary suburban kitchen bustling with hungry kids all grabbing for the peanut butter jar and fighting over the bag of chex mix.  Who needs a mountaintop view?  Other people may have some pretty spectacular experiences in their exciting adventurous lives.  But, I’ll take the view of my children’s sticky peanut buttery faces smiling at me with love over mountaintops any day.

photo credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jocelynmarie/6094784902/">Jocelyn Catterson</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/">cc</a>