Surprise!

While I ate breakfast this morning, I thought about my mom.  Specifically, I remembered an afternoon when she took me to Myrick Park. She walked into the living room with packed lunches and asked me if I'd like to picnic in the park instead of eating in front of the TV that day.  Out of the blue. No special occasion. Just for fun. It was a surprise.

My mom probably doesn't even remember that day. I guess, truly, there was nothing extra special about it. I'd been to Myrick Park a hundred times before that day. I've  been to Myrick Park a hundred times since that day. Nothing unique happened that afternoon, but I remember having so much fun. It wasn't fun because of the park or the picnic or the escape from the living room. It was fun because it was a little surprise just for me. It was a spur of the moment thing. It was something that we did just the two of us. We went out and enjoyed something together.  That's what made that day so amazing for me.

After I dropped Oliver off at school this morning, I packed the diaper bag with his favorite snacks. I loaded the stroller into the car. I prepared the favorite DVD for the car ride. I made sure that we had mittens and hats and water cups and everything for everybody. As I put the key in the ignition to start up the car, I couldn't help but smile.

I picked Oliver up from school and asked him if he wanted to go to the zoo instead of going home. He was over the moon. We've been to the zoo many times, but today he was ecstatic. I let him choose which paths we went down. We stayed at the exhibits as long as he wanted. We sat up front at the bird show and he got to ask the zoo keepers a dozen questions when the show was done. I let him drop pennies down the big penny donation chute. We stopped at every single water fountain.

On the car ride home just before he fell asleep, Oliver said, "Mom, this is the best day ever."

When it's that easy to give somebody the best day ever, how could you not?