Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. As I sit here in the weak Tasmanian sunshine trying to assemble my thoughts into some semblance of order, I am reminded of that naff saying. You see, this morning I was woken at 4.30. There wasn't even a crack of light peeking through the curtains. I was woken by two little voices calling for.their mama. "Sleep with us, mama!" urged Wooja.
"Sleep" would prove to be a misnomer. More like, lie with us, mama dear, while we stroke your hair and squirm around so that our bodies squish you like peanut butter in a sandwich.
As I lay there, one arm wrapped around Boysie and the other wedged firmly under Wooja's back, I was struck by an unexpected thought. It doesn't get better than this. Yes, it was early. Too bloody early! But in between dozing, my little ones started to chat, to play, to share. "I cannot wait for our.big adventure, mum" confided Wooja. "We can read and play all day." "My teddy has a cough" shared Boysie. "Cough, cough. See?"
There is always something that I should be doing. I should be hanging out washing, getting dinner ready, marking essays, returning a phone call. But at 4.30 in the morning there is nothing I should be doing (save for the obvious!). To lie in bed with two babies, to listen to them giggle as we tell silly stories and jokes, is a gift.
