Sunday, March 8, 2015

Chasing Bubbles

The winter hasn't been harsh, it's just been anti-climatic. No big snow storms, nothing notable. It was a winter that can go down in history just because it was incredibly boring and lacking sustenance.

Starting yesterday and continuing this week the temperatures have mellowed out. The clocks have bounced forward, and like a full moon, everyone who feels that energy is breaking out with spring fever and happily disrupted circadian rhythms. I have a cabin-fever-hangover. The kids and I staggered outside like blind moles, bumping into each other, to soak up some much-needed sunshine and fresh air. The air smelled like food grilling and mud thawing and sounded like children playing. The squirrels splashed through the drying leaves in the woods, and my lemon beer complimented the warm sunshine.

I spent the afternoon in the yard again. (Baby steps into the new season.) A lanky 8 year old with last-year's pants on backwards ran through the straw-colored grass swinging a plastic sword. His tow-headed brother bumbled after yelling garbled instructions to him. Back and forth they tore through the yard, one after the other. We turned on some classical piano music and chased shiny rainbow bubbles that flew from the wand held in the breeze. We chased them with swords, tried to shoot them with Nerf guns, and probably popped more accidentally with our faces. The little tow-head danced, standing in one place and bouncing from his knees, completely off-beat. The lanky one slid down the steep hill in the yard on a flattened cardboard box, pretended to wipe-out for our amusement, and came up covered in dry Zoysia grass.

I gingerly pulled grass off of tear-streaked little cheeks. I worked at negotiations between a loose tooth and a whole apple. Several times I needed to kiss the spot where a splinter used to be. I guessed at the answer to nonsensical riddles. I lavished praise on sidewalk chalk "circles" that were drawn with straight lines. It was a perfect day.

It's little magical moments like this that I want to run over in my mind over and over again. Like those bubbles we chased, I know they don't last very long and I don't want to forget them.

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