I Know Know

How you do you say NO to a day that starts and ends as brilliantly as today? You don’t. As my nephew so eloquently says when he doesn’t know “I know know” (insert massively cute two-year-old voice).

Candidly speaking, I’m quite a bit sad having said goodbye to my family yesterday in Washington DC. Tomorrow is Election Day in what will undoubtedly be the most controversial election in our country’s history. I pray for its outcome and I pray for the president-elect and I pray for our country’s people. I hope people realize that real change begins at home. It happens at the local level. Tomorrow’s leaders are being taught today how to handle adversity — win or lose.

Reminiscing upon the weekend, it was filled with painting and reading — storytime with the Behrenstein Bears & The Night Before Christmas — making bird’s nests, riding the Strider and the Radio Flyer, making jam from berries dropped down from the trees next to them, playing with the neighborhood kids, raking leaves, eating fish tacos for lunch and bulgogi for dinner, seeing White Buffalo perform at The Black Cat and so much more. We were even able to sneak in a couple “Go Cubs Go!” renditions.

For a couple days, I lived the world through the eyes of children, one who had just turned two and starting to speak and his older sister who is about to turn five. For them, everything was new and everything was an adventure. “Why” was a common word. And “I know know” (translated “I don’t know”) was perfectly acceptable. Giggling was the preferred way of saying “yes”. Singing and dancing were encouraged. And we needed to eat our fruits and veggies.

So of course I am a bit sad wishing I could press rewind on the world. Who wouldn’t be? And who wouldn’t want that?

Then came this morning and then this evening.

Sunrises are a brilliant thing.

Tomorrow, it’s time to vote.

I know know.