Day 22 Health Activists Writers Month Challenge – Day to Day > Write about something ordinary that’s inspiring to you, something simple, perhaps overlooked, that fuels your activism. Prompt suggested by Abigail. Thanks Abby for a great prompt today.

This is a neat topic today. I like it because I am most often inspired by the small stuff rather than huge events. I didn’t read what todays post topic was until a few moments ago yet strangely earlier this morning I lingered to watch one of my favorite moments.

In TX my kids all road the school busses which were paid for with tax dollars and provided to all students that lived more than 2 miles from school. In CA there are no “free” school buses (despite my higher taxes). Thus each morning I have to take my kids to school and each afternoon I retrieve them. I don’t like all the extra gas and time this consumes but I’ve learned to cherish the time I get to spend with my kids in a confined environment without the distractions of video games, homework, outside play and TV.

I take my daughter first while the boys relax at home. The schools are in opposite directions and begin 30 minutes apart. My daughter and I discuss silly little things or sometimes bigger things. Either way it is 10 minutes of just us. She never fails to say “I Love You” when she leaves the van and I cherish her words throughout my day. I also pick her up first and she and I have about 20 minutes to chat while we wait for the boys. She tells me about drama (not a class) at school that she finds so ridiculous. We watch goofy YouTube videos and laugh. Again – just quite time for her and I to share before the boys get in and things get loud. (Seriously the volume increases exponentially when the boys are in the van.)

On the way to school with my boys we sometimes review spelling words, play eye-spy or crack jokes. After school I get to hear about their days while it’s still fresh in their heads whereas in TX most of the days events were forgotten due to a 30 minute bus ride.

Each day I drop my boys off they dash out of the van and run off up the sidewalk to the playground or school building (depending on how early/late we are running). In those last few moments that I see my boys in the morning I watch their backpacks bounce as they trot away, hop the curb and high-five friends. Each day is so full of energy and excitement. They never drag their feet or walk with heads bowed. They run and jump and great each school day as an opportunity for fun.

Dropping kids at school and retrieving them is very ordinary and very simple but I never overlook it. I truly cherish my time with the kids and seeing them run off to great the day it is what drives me to work harder, be stronger, love more completely and advocate for their futures – futures that hopefully one day will not include diabetes.