The Mister and I have been trying (and failing) to get out to the movies for the last couple of months. We had missed out on Thor: Ragnarock in cinemas and I was determined not to end 2017 without making it to the movies to at least catch the newest Star Wars movie. It is fitting, I think, that we managed to do so on the very last day of the year. With careful preparation starting from the night before, we made sure Hawkeye knew that he was going to have lots of fun with Nana and Aunt Strawberry (yes, there’s a story behind that nickname) and her Chap and without mommy and daddy, but that mommy and daddy will be home in time for dinner and that mommy will absolutely do bedtime.
We spend out of the driveway on our way to Galway and I was practically vibrating with glee at the chance to get away with just the two of us. We didn’t get up to much, just lunch and the movie, but it was a welcome break from being parents and just being “us” for a little while.
We got back to a thankfully happy child who clearly had a good time.
He was also wearing a cape. I actually recognised the pattern immediately from a very old set of bed linens that used to be on The Mister’s bed when we first started dating. You see, Hawkeye has lately taken to insisting on putting on a cardigan every morning, leaving it unzipped, and then holding out the ends of it with his arms stretched out while running back and forth through the house at top speed shouting “I’M BATMAN!” Yesterday I couldn’t convince him to take the cardigan off even though it was clear that he was getting too warm.
So Aunt Strawberry pulled out the old duvet cover that no longer fits any of the blankets and cut a cape out of it, wonder-webbed the edges, found another old pillowcase for decoration, and then threaded a ribbon through the top. Hawkeye. Was. Delighted. Not only did he greet his parents wearing it, but I subsequently found out that he went out to the shops wearing it.
Naturally, a cape meant that we had to go flying, which is a lot of work for mommy, but it was well worth the effort.
And that was our last day of 2017. We had dinner with family. We played a ridiculous card game while waiting for midnight to roll around. We all toasted the incoming New Year and watched the London fireworks
2017 has been great and terrible, which is pretty much a metaphor for life. 2018 is also promising to have many challenges, but who knows, perhaps it will also have an equal amount of opportunities.
Happy New Year everyone. For every challenge it brings to you, may it also deliver to you the strength, grace, and opportunity to overcome those challenges.
The Feathered Rose 