On crisp weekday mornings, when the sun is just starting to climb above golden trees, and a fresh frost makes the ground look like one of those cool, glittery, sequin books you can run your finger across, I feel like the luckiest person in the world.
I get to walk to school with a little chatterbox, sometimes two!, and on the really good days they sing.
Skinnamarinky dinky dink. Skinnamarinky do. I love you!
We ponder some of life’s mysteries, like which came first, the bicycle or the tricycle, and how long do worms stay above ground after a rain, and are fairies real?
Sometimes, when they spot a friend, they run ahead and I have to yell, “Stop at the corner!” So far, they do and the friends wait and then I get to trail behind the cutest bunch of buddies in all the land.
They’re enthusiastic greeters, and also well-trained.
“Hey mister, can I pet your doggo?”
We’ve met a lot of cool pets that way, and a lot of kind owners.
(And, speaking of other people’s pets, we’re currently keeping an eye out for a missing cat named Earl and we hope you will too!)
My eye level is a good two feet above theirs so we see different things. They look up when I point out a bird’s nest, or a cool leaf pattern, or a seasonal ghost in a tree. I look down when we play the hot lava game, or someone spots a spiky tree nut we’ve never seen before. I often walk home with a pocket full of treasures – smooth stones, weirdly shaped branches, walnut shells.
It’s a straight shot from our house to school but the view varies in delightful ways. Yesterday, we spotted a unicorn skeleton and a small branch that looked like a rib cage.
Seasons change quickly around here, little people grow up and move on.
So, I’m grateful for the time we get to spend together, the paths we walk and the things we see along the way.
