Morning Walk

The gray from the rainy morning yesterday has held on, much to my delight. However, the rain has put a cramp in our style, as we always play outside after breakfast, and Mama can't sit on soggy patio furniture.

The kids don't seem to understand why wet cushions are a turn-off, however, and after breakfast this morning, they asked to be outside (Henry especially, as he can be quite assertive with his requests for "Zah-zayee?"- "Outside?").

So... how to get the kiddos their fresh-air fix before the rising sun + high humidity make it unpleasant- no, downright dangerous- for us to be out?

Eureka, a morning walk.

One of the things I love about my kiddos is how much they love walks. They breathe in the breezes. They feel the grass and leaves we pass. They notice birds and bugs and neighbor goings-on. They listen quietly. I believe they even use walks to think.

They do the same things I do when I walk. I didn't try to teach them how to listen to bird calls. I didn't make them put their hands out when we pass long grasses. I didn't tell them to take deep breaths. They do it on their own, and I do too.

Today, my thoughts wandered to so many of the obstacles and anxieties left to process that comes from just living life... daily stuff, work stuff, home stuff, health stuff (our thoughts today are especially with our Great Aunt Winona)... as I walked, they all struggled for a place in the forefront of my mind.

The longer we walked, the calmer my thoughts became, and the more I was able to welcome in the things around me.

The kiddos had a rocky morning start, too, and I noticed about halfway in to our trek they seemed to relax.

We were forced to have our morning playtime indoors yesterday due to the rain (actually more due to the thunder and lightening that accompanied the rain), and that one very slight hiccup in the rhythm of things had us feeling more out-of-sorts than I realized.

In loading up the strollers and stretching out into the open, we really came back to center, and no matter how many times I see it happen, it always amazes me... how much power there is in the connection between human and nature.

No matter how small the human, no matter how cultivated the 'nature.'

Oh, gray morning, thank you for returning to us something I hadn't realized we were missing- thanks to all this summer heat- our morning walk.