Briefcase on the Kitchen Table

Avery and I were returning from the grocery store. There was a blanket of foot-deep snow outside of our apartment and we were wading through it laden-down with swollen plastic bags. Starting to get close to the end of the semester, we were both quiet, silently stressing about all of the things we each knew we wouldn’t be able to get done that day. Living in a double-grad student home is like that sometimes; work doesn’t get done at 5:00 o’clock, it is just a continuous to-do list. Avery was in front of me and sat down a couple of the bags on the buried front porch to get the keys from his pocket. He slowly pushed the door open and reached down to grab the bags when “Wha-bam!” a snowball hit the wall next to his head. Avery sat the bag down quickly and turned to see what was going on when “Splat” I hit one of the bags with a snowball. Avery grinned and grabbed some snow off the drooping bush next to his hand. He threw it as I ran for a near by tree. The assault continued with me missing every throw and Avery raining a barrage of snowballs down on me. I surrendered once I realized my coat was quickly filling with snow. We each picked up our quickly-discarded groceries (we were at war for goodness sake) and headed inside.

And you know what? That was enough. That three minute snow-ball fight helped break Avery and I of our funk for the rest of the day. As we trudged inside I didn’t worry about the snow that now covered the first three feet of carpet inside of the door, or the fact the ice cream in one of the bags was surely melting at this point, or the fact that we had left the trunk of the car open the entirety of the impromptu attack. It was worth it. We needed that moment of spontaneity to totally forget about whatever reading or homework assignment each of us was fretting about and to actually look at one another and have a moment of pure, joyful fun.

It is hard sometimes when things get stressful for both people at the same time. It is easy to go to separate corners until at least one person is less stressed and can be the supporter to the still-stressed person. Instead though, I like moments like these. Impromptu moments in which I remember what is important and worth my worry; my marriage, not my homework. A moment when I am not thinking about the work and just look at my husband and smile from a reaction to all of the love; to have a moment of forced perspective to relieve the mounting stress. I am sure throwing a snowball at Avery’s head had something to do with it too.