Placing the car in park, I shut off the engine. Almost by muscle memory, I performed my routine: grab empty coffee cup from the cupholder between the two front seats; disconnect iPhone from the stereo system; open car door and grab computer bag; sling bag over shoulder; close car door. Always the same. Always the same.
But I knew today would be different.
I made my way across the driveway as the March sun silently filtered between large maple trees. And as I pushed open my front door, I was greeted by something uniquely unfamiliar- eerie silence.
No Hi Papa! bursting from the tiny vocal cords of a two-year old.
No voices chattering about how to improve the blanket fort.
No Mama, I need a snack! No arguments about saving room for dinner.
No confrontations about setting the table.
No debates about the merits of bathing or brushing teeth.
No desperate searches for favorite water bottles, stuffed animals, special blankets.
No figuring out how to read Boxcar Children to two older children and Goodnight, Gorilla to another.
No requests for bandaids or drinks of water right after the lights are turned out.
No chaos.
None of that.
Just peace, quiet. Choice and sanity.
But I miss the chaos.
And I can’t wait until it returns.
Note to readers: My family flew to see relatives Tuesday. I will be joining them this coming weekend.
LANNY BALL, Literacy Specialist 
Enjoy your solitude knowing it will not last long. Chaos can be fun too!
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Definitely! Making the most of a small break before the wonderful chaos returns. Thanks for stopping by!
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I like your use of the repetition of “no” to convey the point that they aren’t there. Nice slice!
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The power of not. We talked about this in one of our writing project sessions. Sometimes the way to write about something that is hard is to tell what it is not. If you don’t mind, I plan to pin this post to my mentor slices as a reminder of possibility in the future.
I hope the chaos returns soon.
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Of course! I would honored! Thanks for your perspective- love the idea of approaching courageous writing that way.
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I can totally relate to this! Sometimes I can’t wait to get the kids to bed, but then as soon as the house is quiet, I miss them.
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As they say, the days are long but the years are short. Trying to appreciate everyday.
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What a beautiful slice that lets your love for your family shine through. It stirs my emotions as it brings back the memories of life in our house when the children were small. How I miss the excited greetings “bursting from the tiny vocal cords of a two-year old”! Times change and my family is different now-all grown up, but thelong-ago chaos can be a noisy blanket of love. Enjoy your family!
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Thank you! I know I need to soak it up while it lasts!
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I had pinned this slice to read later; glad I returned to it! Thanks for the note at the end; you had me a bit worried that some bad/ sad news had befallen you. I also didn’t know what door you would be opening, until the dialogue memories started; I thought it might be school. Great slice!
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