After a blizzard producing a 22 inch snow fall and a winter that seemed to drag on and on, today's 68 degree weather was warmly welcomed... It was just warm enough for short sleeves and pants, but cool enough to hike around in our back woods without the bugs pestering us.
The sky was crystal blue and the air was quiet. However, the scene was still barron, with not a color in sight. Only tiny buds showed their presence on the tips of the trees, but the brown dried leaves still heavily blanketed the ground.
My son and I donned our boots and we coaxed our German Shepherd to join us on an exploring adventure. My son likes to pretend she's our search and seek partner and asks her to "sniff out" clues. So, we wandered the grounds, stepping over fallen limbs and uprooted trees, as I carried a plastic ziplock bag with rocks, sticks, and pine cones piled inside. We would stop and empty the contents to see if anything resembled a clue, and I would related some object to something we passed and he would get excited, as that meant we were getting closer... To what, I never found out.
Mid way, he would stop and say, "I think there's a dragon over there." Then I would stop and call for our dog to stop and pretend we were on high alert. And we all got quiet... For about a second -that's about how long my son can handle... He picked up a stick and said, "I got this mama!" Then, he ran towards the "dragon" and scared him off. You know, being the brave explorer protecting his followers.
Periodically, he'd reach for my hand, to help me navigate through the woods. Saying, "here mama, let me help you." But, I think it was more for his stability. Either way, I thanked him and reminded him how much I was grateful for his hand.
We climbed deeper and deeper, so our home was just a white speckle between the trees. Our dog was now laying in the leaves, taking a break from her 10 year old legs. And, he and I pretended to set up a camp fire among the tall oaks that sat high above us. He used his sword stick to roast marshmallows and I cooked mac and cheese. He chatted about our next course and how we needed to find more dragons to keep the area safe. Then, we would head back home...
I could remember doing this same thing with his sister every spring. After the winter months, our stagnant bodies craved the outdoor air and our minds yearned for some adventures. But lately, pretend adventures aren't really her thing anymore. She humors us every once in a while, but she'd rather turn the logs and obstacles into an American Ninja Warrior event instead.
So I take the changes with stride, I'm now becoming a professional at that, and I make sure to integrate both children with all the activities at the same time. It takes skill, but we make it work. And I know that I'll probably cry the day all this stops and the Spring season doesn't mean we go out into the woods to slay dragons, or save princesses, or even, look for clues. But today, it does. Today, it means, we walk the grounds and play together...
And when Spring becomes just another day on the calendar, I'll always have these wonderful memories that will forever remain in the forefront of my brain...
And at that time, the memories will be just as special as the real thing.
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