My Magic Bytes

With no interruptions

Going up on a 3mile hike with a toddler and a grown man [my husband] taught me something profound. We were both taking turns carrying our 2-year-old daughter and her stroller. Heading over to the gorgeous waterfalls in Oregon. It better be good, I thought.

When I spotted the falls from feet away, I froze. The pains left my body unannounced. My body, mind, and soul were immersed in the beauty of nature: The endless pouring of waterfalls with the gushing sound filled my heart with absolute joy.

A voice interrupted my view, “What a rough hike.” I looked back to notice a fine young couple with their cute backpacks telling me how challenging it was to climb up to the falls.

My involuntary response was instant: “Well, at least you didn’t have to carry a toddler or a stroller.”

Luck was in my favor, as they thought I was joking. Only that I was not.

We don’t realize how effortless some things are until we are left with no choice but to push our limits.

If we get a chance to go alone on that hike now, we had probably do it twice. The power of hindsight, I know….I know. But in all honesty, we never did many hikes as couples. This urge to connect with nature was an aftereffect of becoming a parent, I guess.

The same applies to my writing every morning. Some days, I can write for an hour or two with no interruptions. But once my kids are up, it gets challenging. My son wants to hold my hand as he enjoys his morning cup of milk, and my daughter’s interest in spelling is fully ripe in the morning.

Although I continue to type with my left hand to finish the paragraph, spelling out the words to the second-grader, nothing beats using both hands and a free mind for writing.

This is why I have set myself an alarm first thing in the morning. To wake up to my ideas and spill out my soul before it is too late for my hands.

“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion, or it will be killed.… It doesn’t matter whether you’re the lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you’d better be running.” -Christopher McDougall.

In the above quote, Gazelle is the idea that sprouts in my mind every morning. And Lion is the time that waits for none.

I better write it all out before the time is up!!

I hope it was all relevant. My time is up now. Period.