If you’re reading this, and you feel bad that me and Sophia didn’t get to exchange gifts, don’t. Luckily, neither of us are big on gifts, so it wasn’t too much of a loss. Besides, after Desiree went to bed, we did all kinds of giving and receiving in the hot springs, heh. Now that was something! Of all the ways to woohoo in water, hot springs woohoo is my favorite. I’m not sure whether it was the natural minerals in the water or just the magic of Winterfest, but we were all kinds of invigorated. 😏
I found Desi doing yoga again when I got up the next morning. I felt like I should have said something since she promised not to do it without me and disobeyed. She’s growing up way too fast and needs to understand breaking promises has consequences. But I am also SUPER stoked that she’s so excited about yoga. I don’t want to kill her spirit or make her think I don’t want her doing it at all, so I didn’t say anything. I can’t wait to get back home and teach her more moves. There will be plenty more opportunities for life lessons in the future, I’m sure.
The weather was still quite frigid, but the sun was out, so we went back to Senbamachi to hike the scenic trail before heading back home. Sophia slipped and fell on the ice almost immediately, and I knew we shouldn’t have been out there. She winced in pain as I helped her up, and I didn’t want her or Desi falling prey to elements again. But we had already checked out of the rental, so I suggested we find somewhere else to hang out until time to leave, but Sophia insisted she was okay and that we keep going. I conceded, but kept a sharp eye on her—on both of them.
After a short while, I was really glad I didn’t panic and make an executive decision to leave. Sophia and Desiree fell back a little, and I enjoyed hearing them laugh and talk behind me. I rarely get to witness them together without me being in the center of it, and I’ve low-key been concerned about their relationship. Sophia is still stumbling through motherhood, and Desiree loves spending time with me. It’s vital for kids to have a strong bond with their mothers, and I don’t want to be the cause of any future drama between them. But listening to their giggles behind me, I see they have their own thing. It might not be like our thing, but it’s still a special connection, and I love to see it.
We came up on the graveyard, and I remembered how much my dad cried. I thought he was crazy, but my mom explained his tears. She said, many of those sims buried there had been dead for hundreds of years; someone has to mourn them. What she said made sense, but I still didn’t understand why he would cry for strangers in a foreign land he’d probably never visit again. But now that I’m older, and I have more memories with him than I did then, I see that’s just who he was: a softie with a big heart and an immense amount of love to give. Standing there with that memory, I took a page from his book and mustered a few tears for the dearly departed strangers.
“Mommy? Why is Daddy crying?”
“He’s paying respect to the dead.”
“What’s respect?”
“Respect is like … Honor? Uhh, reverence?”
I could tell she struggled to explain it in a way Desi could understand. I’m not quite sure what I would have come up with either.
“When you respect someone,” she continued, “you treat them how you would like to be treated. Some sims think they are better than others and don’t respect them. They aren’t nice and treat everyone like they don’t matter. But everyone matters—even the dead. They matter because even after they’re gone, their life and memory still lives. That’s why you don’t do certain things in the graveyard. This is their house, and when you go to someone’s house, you should be on your best behavior, okay?”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Have I mentioned today how much I love this woman?? She tackled that topic like a freakin’ boss! I wish she could see herself through my eyes because I think she is a terrific mom. She, the woman who thinks nothing of walking around naked, has crazy confidence in many areas of her life, but when it comes to motherhood, she shrivels like a raisin. The monsters inside have her in a chokehold, but every day, I see her slowly slipping out of their grip. I can’t wait for the day she exiles them from her mind. When that day comes, she will be unstoppable.
