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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

I pulled into my driveway, and my youngest rushed out the door to jump in my car. She’s all bundled up, but you can still tell that she’s wearing her fancy outfit. Grinning from ear to ear, she buckles herself up and shouts, “I’m ready!” I see that she has a funny expression on her face. She looks like she’s trying to make herself not smile — like a person who forgot to put in their dentures, her lips stretched such that her teeth are hidden.

I ask her if she’s excited. She says she is, but she’s trying to hold it in.

“I feel like I’m going to laugh but I’m trying not to,” she says.

I smile as I start driving her to the party. She’s only in first grade. With everything that’s happened in the past year, there haven’t been any birthday parties for her to go to. She gets to go to her friend’s house and play with a few of her classmates outside of school. I don’t know if you remember being a little kid, but this is a big deal.

I think about the level of excitement she feels. You’re so happy and eager that you can’t wipe the smile off your face. You try to play it cool, but you just end up giggling for no good reason. There are only a few things that bring that level of giddiness, but man oh man, that’s a fun feeling. I tell my daughter to let it out. If she wants to giggle or smile, she should just do it.

This really got me thinking. She was beyond thrilled to see her friends and play for two hours — how awesome is that? Do I get this excited when I get to see my friends? Well maybe I’m not anxiously giggling on the car ride there, but I do get pretty pumped up. Having to limit our interactions this past year has really made me appreciate the moments when I do get to see people.

I keep going back to what a blessing this whole experience has been. Think of all the things you use to take for granted. Being able to walk into a store and not think, “Oh shoot, I forgot my mask.” Being able to go into the store and buy toilet paper and actually leave with the brand of toilet paper you want. Going into a restaurant and not worrying about if they’re open or if they have enough seating. Letting your children have playdates. Going to concerts. Going shopping and being able to try on the clothes.

Do you know how happy I’m going to be when I’m driving on the way to my next concert with my girlfriends? I’m going to be grinning from ear to ear. I’m probably going to giggle for no good reason. When we finally get there and the band starts playing, I bet I’m going to look like a love struck 14-year-old just staring at my crush in fourth period. With everyone getting vaccinated and spring around the corner, I know that we’re getting close. I’m starting to get a little giddy just thinking about it.

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.