After I wrote this post, I went home to one of my favorite parts of the day: playtime with the Olive. I block off that time just for her. I don't do chores (well, maybe a few, but only if she has happily occupied herself with something), I don't cook, I don't get on the internet or the phone. This time is just for her. And for me.
The girl is crazy for OUTSIDE. She bounces out of bed and wants to go OUTSIDE OUTSIDE OUTSIDE. Even the backyard is not good enough. She pounds on the back gate: OUTSIDE! Because I guess you must not only be outdoors, but outside the curtilage as well.
And of course she wanted to go OUTSIDE the other night. The skies were thunderously dark with rain, though it hadn't really started yet. But it was about 74 degrees out. The worst thing we were going to get was wet, so on with our raincoats, and OUTSIDE we went.
She doesn't care that her feet are soaking wet. Or her legs. Or her hands. She doesn't care that it's raining. And raining harder. She loves it, every second of exploration, splashing, more splashing. She says HI! to everyone who walks by, shouts UMBRELLA! when they have one, and bids them BYE BYE (perhaps a little sadly) as they continue on down the sidewalk. And they smile, they light up, they say HI back, these strangers in the rain.
And the weight of the world, all the tiredness, lifts from my shoulders, washes away in raindrops. I smile. And stomp in a puddle.
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