Monday, October 1, 2012

Go Outside

Today I left the mess, the piles of laundry, neglected dinner planning, forgot about nap schedules. Chose not to mow the lawn or catch up on emails. I didn't even comb my hair. Even though I am now seeing everything I didn't do today, life was beautifully spent. We drove through gorgeous shades of fall deep into the mountains to play in fresh river water. Climbed rocks, ate pbj and dirt and froze our toes numb. Our autumns are short and precious here. And I feel the first snow coming. Needing to see the green, yellow and blue hues before they are quietly resting under their winter blanket of white, the mountains needed to be visited.

We had no plan of a destination or trail to hike. We just went to play, to be. It is wonderful to see children playing, without toys. Engaged, explorative and for the most part content. And honestly, I take them out largely because I too, need to play outside. Homes, hot dinners, beautiful flowers and nice lawns are wonderful gifts in adulthood, but if not placed in the right priority, we too miss out on the fun in life, the adventure.

We invited our neighbors to go with us today, so the two of us moms managed to keep 7 littles safe, not clean...just safe, and we had a great time!