Chipmunk giggles.

In my newfound “I don’t give a pulsating pink porcupine’s penis about much of anything” freestyle life that I’ve just learned how to live….I have found myself living more in the moment.

This one.

Like right now.

And in living in this moment like right now, I find myself being very picky about these moments.

I’m carefully choosing battles and making certain choices that even a week ago I wouldn’t have made.

Which brings me to a story about a moment and a choice.

Rambo gets up at 4am every day to get ready to go to the prison.

That means our household and all its residents are in bed about 8pm.

Early schmearly but 4am comes real quick.

One night it was 8:10. EGADS – holy dried up mouse turds – 10 minutes past the appropriate bed time!!

Rambo and I are finishing things up in the kitchen and I see that Banana (5 yr old) is still out in the living room, mysteriously searching for something.

I then hear her say, “I cannot find The Chipmunk Movie, Mom. I really need to watch it tonight.”

I knew what Rambo would say. And he didn’t let me down.

He said, “We don’t have time to look. It’s now 8:15 and I have to get to bed.

Get your tiny butt in bed.”

That normally would have been the end of it. And in fact, Banana, had already made her way to bed – satisfied with his answer.

Me?

Not satisfied. For some reason in that moment – it struck me to say to Rambo:

“Go find the movie. Pretty soon she’ll be 20 and you’d give anything to be asked to find

a Chipmunk movie for her just one more time.”

He looked at me like I was psycho and I went about finishing things up.

I never even paid attention to if he went and found her beloved movie.

Later on I knew.

Rambo and I were laying in bed. Waiting to fall asleep. Dead quiet. Pitch dark.

Until I hear giggling.

Deep in your body. Through to your heart. Felt in your stomach. Pure child joy kind of giggling.

The kind you can’t hear and not crack a smile or giggle yourself.

And then it would go quiet. And I’d imagine what part of the movie was so dang funny

that it would produce another explosive giggle when she knew she was supposed to be sleeping.

Then I’d hear it again. From two entire rooms away.

A 5 year old laughing at a movie…because she couldn’t contain herself.

And then she’d sigh contently.

I looked at Rambo and said, “Man, there’s nothing like Chipmunk giggles to end a day, is there?”

Apparently he made the choice to find his Banana her movie – even though it was 8:15pm.

Some things are just worth going to bed late for – don’t you think?

Find the moments.

Make the choices.

Listen for chipmunk giggles.

They’re everywhere….