Suburban Discovery

As a child, I wandered through the foothills and creeks near our home. There were always secret hideouts to discover, plants to test for edibility, places to explore. All I had to do was walk outside. The world in all its wonder was waiting.

In suburbia, we live ordered lives with our fenced plots of cultivated land. Children's little lives are filled with lessons, sports events, and other good things. Excess time is spent with the Wii, X-Box, or Game Boys. I still want to instill a sense of wonder, of discovery, and adventure into our well ordered suburban lives. I look for any opportunity to explore . . . even in our neighborhood.

Today as we went to the store for supplies for our dinner, (see the dinner blog) across from the library, the drainage overflows had filled from all our rain. Ducks floated peacefully, and barn swallows darted and flashed above and around, dipping occasionally from the oversided puddle.

Puddles are great for flapping feet, for splashing, for racing, and jumping. Little Mother and Sunshine leaped right in, screaming joyously. Ladybug timidly tested the waters till she warmed up and raced for joy along the water's edge. Mallards disgruntledly watched the interlopers from the top of the berm, and cars driving to and from the shopping area stared unabashedly at the rag taggled little group splashing through the water. "What do they think they are doing? This is not a lake. This is well ordered suburbia and we don't run through ditch overflows." Or maybe, just maybe, they were wishing they had the water whisking through their toes, and splashing on their face. Perhaps they wanted to stop and hear children's laughter, squeals, and reverence for the discovery of a golf ball or an extra warm patch of water.

Life is beautiful anywhere when we open to the opportunities that surround us.