A Stroll. . . for Coffee

The night before we flew to Orlando for our 7th visit to Walt Disney World, we stayed at a hotel so cheap it didn’t offer shampoo as an amenity. The place was clean and the price was right--$62.00 including tax—for us to stay over night, park our car at the hotel for the length of our trip, and a shuttle to/from the airport. Yep, the price was right.




After a restful, but excited night of sleep, we were getting ready the next morning. The husband was up and dressed and headed to a fast food chain to get us breakfast. The boy was up and dressed and while I finished getting ready, he said he wanted to go for a stroll. Yes, our 8 year old used the word “stroll.”



So, he headed out into the corridor of the hotel, I propped the door with the lock so he could get back in the room, and proceeded to finish getting ready. After brushing my teeth and getting ready to pack away the toothpaste, it dawned on me that the boy hadn’t brushed his teeth yet. I peeked out the door and into the hallway to see if I could see him.



There he was, walking down the hallway with one hand in his pocket and in the other hand a white Styrofoam cup. He told me he had found the coffee and was having a cup. He proceeded to drink the coffee, then brushed his teeth. When his dad appeared with breakfast in hand, he told him about the coffee and showed him the coffee pot as we headed into the lobby to check out.



I wish I had a picture of this 8 year old boy dressed in khaki pants and a white short sleeve polo shirt walking towards me in the hall holding his coffee cup. It is as if I got a glimpse of the future—of him in the future—when he is older--old enough to be drinking coffee while walking down the hallway of a hotel.



And, yes, he has a taste for coffee that I have no idea where it came from. We don’t drink coffee at our house and don’t have coffee on hand. He has tasted coffee before when we have been out to eat when his dad has ordered coffee to drink.



I’m still shaking my head. . . and smiling! I am continuously amazed by these little moments that create ever lasting memories. I wonder at the boy’s sense of independence when he navigated all of that on his own. And, I look forward to the glimpses of what he will be like as he grows and matures. You hear from other parents how quickly kids grow up and it’s true. In the blink of an eye. . .