Taking Things Slow...

Learning an important life lesson from my husband's new "accessory"

My husband came home with a new accessory yesterday morning. No, it’s not the push present I’m still waiting on (*hint hint cough cough, heyyyy honey who’s likely reading this and laughing out loud sitting next to me right now*). Sadly, it’s not that exciting. He came hobbling through the door rocking a boot on his foot after his visit to the doctor’s office yesterday morning.

It all began Christmas 2023. Adam signed himself up for a 50 mile race in Moab, Utah. Yes, you read that correctly. 5-0 MILES! He felt like he’d been slacking on his physical fitness and wanted to hold himself accountable to getting back into a good routine. Talk about going 0-100 real quick! While I’m more of a workout class person, Adam is more of a solo workout person and a runner, so he figured signing up for a race would be the best way to hold his feet to the fire and get back out there! Well, the coals may have been a bit too hot because partway through his training program Adam encountered an injury that took him out. Not only did he have to pause his endurance running but he had to postpone his race.

While his injury prevented him from running, it didn’t prevent him from walking or participating in other workouts so Adam essentially kept on living his life and postponed a much needed visit to the doctor until, well, yesterday. Probably close to a full year after the initial injury happened. For a number of reasons. 2024 was thus far the busiest year of our lives as well as the most expensive plus we moved to a new state which meant establishing new care by way of our doctor’s and if you’ve moved at all, ever, then you know that takes time. Not to mention the fact that his injury seemed to flare up one day and be completely fine the next.

All excuses aside, he finally went to the doctor and was prescribed his new “accessory” for 3 weeks followed by 3 weeks of physical therapy before re-assessing the situation and deciding next steps.

You may wonder why the heck I’m re-hashing my husband’s current medical woes (as I’m sure Adam is while reading this post) but just bear with me for a moment, okay?

We had a bit of an errand day today, visiting our local farmer’s market as well as the library book sale before stopping at the grocery store on the way home. Since it was 90 some odd degrees outside today it was not ideal temps for baby wearing so we opted for the stroller for our little guy. A somewhat risky move since he’s much more predictable in the baby carrier (he just sleeps the whole time).

We had parked the car and got Rex all set up in the stroller and were ready to head to the farmers market when Adam immediately grabbed for the stroller and started pushing it. Now don’t get me wrong, stroller pushing duties are not regulated to one person in our household but as I watched my poor husband hobble along on his booted foot, pushing the stroller, I immediately asked if he wanted me to take over stroller duties. Imagine how insensitive I probably looked to some people!? “Aw that poor guy. He’s in a boot and his wife’s still making him push the baby!” Well to those people, I’ll have you know I offered to push the stroller thank you very much!!!

It was my husband’s response that inspired today’s post. He said “no, it’s okay, it forces me to slow down.” To which I immediately asked, “and you’re saying that’s a good thing? Orrrr…???” He confirmed it was indeed a good thing if you’re wondering.

While it may sound horrible to some of us (I know the idea of being forced to slow down gives me a bit of anxiety), the reality is that’s exactly what happens when you have children. And for good reason! The other day we were talking about our first trip out to California to see my family - a 28 hour road trip - yes, we will be driving instead of flying. After making a 2 hour road trip to New Buffalo, Michigan a couple weeks ago with Rex my first thought was “wow it’s going to take a long time to make that trip out to California at the end of the year.” Because with a baby passenger in tow you’re not able to barrel down the road, putting mile after mile and hour after hour behind you. There’s no “making good time,” there’s simply “making it…in your own time.” We’ll need to get out and stretch, Rex will need to be fed, be stimulated by being outside versus cooped up in the car for a period of time, etc. etc. 28 hours will take significantly longer with our newest family member there’s no doubt about that.

Having a baby forces you to slow down. Just like having a boot on your foot does. And you know what? I’m learning to be okay with that in this season of life. Because if we didn’t take our time and slow down through these moments, we may miss them. And there’s nothing I’d hate more than missing out on these precious moments with my precious family.

So, to my sweet wounded husband, while I’m sorry to see you hobbling around here for the next 3 weeks, I’m grateful to you and your new accessory for helping me realize that going slow isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, I think it’s a reminder we could all use.