Well, maybe I needed it a smidge more, but that is a typical parental burden. Truth be told, our lives have been quite stressful as of late. There have been some events of bittersweet and tragic nature upending us a bit as a family, events that I’m sure I’ll write about once I am able to wrap my arms around them a bit.

As a result, I have been acutely aware of the enjoyment that exists in smaller moments. It’s nice to apply the breaks from time to time and find the beauty of simple pleasures, the small joys that somehow make big memories.

And so tonight the kids and I just decided to hop in the car at 9:00 on a school night, and go chase the strawberry moon.

It was, I have to admit, pretty amusing. The town I live in is very tree heavy, and because the moon was so low, it was hard to find. The kids and I were laughing about how ridiculous it was that we couldn’t find the moon, of all things. It was made all the more ridiculous when we decided to download a moon finder app that could point us in the right direction. WTH—I graduated from Boston College, but let me download an app so I can find the moon? Perhaps a new low, but it did make for a good giggle. So we continued to drive around town with our moon finder app. And eventually we found the right angle to see it.

And holy jumping cow, it was worth it. The moon was this oversized orange-brown circle hanging very low in the sky. Tonight the full moon lit up the sky coinciding with the summer solstice. It was the first time since 1967, before I was born. Astronomers say it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience; at least it will be for me. I told my kids that when it comes around again they will likely have grown children of their own, and they can think back to when we all drove around town trying to find that moon. It’s really pretty neat to think about.

But more so than that, it was just a nice moment with my kids, laughing in the car, enjoying the adventure, no matter how small.

Onward.