Today was full of sunshine.

Aren’t days like that just a gift?

My buddy Carl Sandburg’s gloriously beautiful home site partnered with breezy sunshine and companionable hiking friends.

Today was about slow conversations and walking through the woods.  Eating lunch on a giant rock with a stellar view that made cold leftover ham taste delicious.

Listening to the kids chat about novels they enjoy and favorite films and book titles they should read next and “have you ever read Agatha Christie?”

I loved watching Bergen lead and chat with two younger little buddies as they held his hand and walked a mile or more holding hands.  He patiently listened to stories about birthdays and fun parks and favorite meals.  And he wasn’t doing them a favor – he was having a good hike.

One other thing I also liked about today was the big age range of all the kids on the trail with us. It’s such a promising glimpse into The Next Season to hear teenage girls and boys laughing and joking with everyone, engaging in conversation and outdoor adventure, willingly toting younger kids on their backs and being all around gracious human beings who are pleasant to interact with.  It’s a kind of hope that I think all mamas and papas could stand to revel in on occasion.

Also.

Today I was challenged by an eleven year old to attempt a one-handed cartwheel.  I took gymnastics for several years as an elementary kid.  I was always afraid of keeping one hand close in and trusting in only one arm to carry my weight.  Uneven bars and balance beams I did, but I never conquered the one-handed cartwheel.

But today, in a violet-filled lawn at a poet’s home, I both attempted and accomplished my first single-handed cartwheel.  (Thanks Caroline!)

Isn’t life full of surprises?

Live in the sunshine, swim the sea, drink the wild air. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

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