Driving With My Son on Sunday Mornings

Listening to Mumford and Sons

“But hold me fast, Hold me fast,
’Cause I’m a hopeless wanderer” *

The last several weekends, usually early on Sunday mornings after another harrowing night starring a restless just-turned-1-year-old, I roll out of bed, load the baby into his car seat, and set out for a driving tour of central Florida to give my wife an hour or two of extra rest. I once looked upon this as a bit of a chore, preferable to trying to keep the baby quiet in the house, but still nothing to look forward to. This Sunday though, it felt different.

The sun is just rising on another beautiful Florida spring morning as we set out. I’m tired and a little cranky: the usual. Bennett, however, seems to be in a pretty good mood and doesn’t even put up any fuss for the seat-belt buckling, which is usually a given.

We swing through the Starbucks drive-thru first to grab a coffee and snack for me. No caffeine necessary for Ben. I’ve long suspected he has a secret pump hidden somewhere that delivers it straight to his bloodstream.

As the combination of caffeine and croissant start to perk me up, I take a moment to listen to the babbling and singing coming from the back seat. It’s a sound that can almost always put a smile on my face. When, that is, I take the time to listen. Really listen.

All too often these sounds get lost in the noise: music on the radio, a phone call, or most often, the thoughts in my head. This time though, I just let it soak in, trying to create a memory. I do this every so often. Seek to preserve moments that are so mundane they can easily be lost.

For example, I remember sitting, several years ago during our year in England, in the back of a classroom in Cambridge, leaning back against an ancient wood bench, looking out the window as the sun glinted off the dusty glass panes and a tree branch shivered in the breeze at the classically old British architecture, characteristic of university towns, and the cobble-stoned street.

Similarly, this moment, listening, without any distraction, to my 1-year-old as…

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