A Change of Seasons

Arizona has two seasons, "Hot" and "Not Hot". Well, it's more like Summer and Spring. The traditional Fall months still pretty much feel like summer here. At least they feel like summer back in the North East - less the humidity. The only way I know its Fall is the change in the light. The opportunity to don warm sweaters and jeans happens in a very brief window of time. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around the air has cooled and it feels like Fall and then Christmas and New Years get here and it’s cold. Then today -- It is January 12th and it was 73 degrees out; an average summer temperature back home if I recall. That said… How could I ever live back east again?? We have been forced indoors for a month and a half – If that – and I have been going stir crazy!

I’ve been missing family supper on the patio -- and lunch and breakfast there too for that matter. I’ve been missing the playground and swim lessons and swimming in general. I’ve been longing to sit in the yard with the sun on my face, knowing that all too soon I will be driven back inside for most of the day trying to escape the heat. I do not think I would survive hibernating indoors from October to April because of the snow and ice and cold. I know this because I have barely survived my children the last month and a half. These girls have energy to burn! Without constructive means to expel this energy -- Well you’ve heard the saying “idle hands are the devil's workshop.” Enough said…

So – Woo Hoo! The seasons are a changing and the girls and I have been walking to the far playground just about every day for the last week. I get some much needed exercise and the girls get to spend a few hours in the sun, sand and fresh air. There are usually nice kids to play with, which is a rare treat for my girls. Although Grace has struggled with the fact that older girls on the playground do not want to play with her and call her a baby But we have run into a few very well mannered, fun to play with two and a half years olds the last few days. It has been a real joy to watch Grace play with kids her own age who are not friends – I admire her willingness to put herself out there and ask an unfamiliar kid to play. I find that I am astounded everyday with how high both girls can climb and how fearless they are. We are very fortunate to have such a great playground in our community. (Thanks Ms. Ho for showing us this hidden treasure!) I have since we moved here been wholly disappointed with the playgrounds in our neighborhood. But we do have a great trail system running through the community - I have really nice, stroller – And I need exercise. That’s a big one… If the playground was right behind the house I wouldn’t get the exercise.

Of course the first time Grace climbed all the way to the top of the playground and went down a rather large slide I was far away watching afraid to move. I don’t know what prompted me to look up to see where Grace had gone off to. I was watching Lily go up the stairs and down the stairs - Up the stairs and down the stairs. Why this is so enthralling to Lily I will never know, but it’s mostly what she does while we’re there. Back to the story – I look up and Grace is climbing this inverted arc to get onto the play structure. I know she is agile and has a great sense of where she is in space. There was nothing concerning about her doing this, it was…out of character though. She was in a zone. Not paying attention to anyone or anything other than the task at hand. Color me impressed. I wanted to walk over to the stroller, grab the video camera and document this, but I just felt like I would jinx her mission if I moved. So I stood there, not moving – watching - fascinated. Then right up to a vertical ladder. What?! She isn’t really going to do it? She’ll chicken out, I know my Grace. Up the ladder she goes, like it’s nothing, no hesitation, no regrets, full steam ahead – On a mission. Then she waits her turn at the top of this 25 foot platform and down this large spiraling tube slide she goes! **exhale** WOW! I did not just see what I thought I saw? Did I? If I had been standing there writing for her she’d have been telling me she couldn’t do it. She would have walked up to and backed away from that slide a dozen times, that is if she even made it up the ladder to the platform to begin with. I call her over to me– Give her a big bear hug! Swing her up in the air and tell her how proud of her I am! When I put her down she goes running right back to the inverted arch and I grab my video camera – Because of course she is going to do it again…



~Lily~