An Outdoor Child

This Easter long weekend of 4 days was special this year as it was unseasonally warm for an early March Easter. We spent 8 hours a day outside digging what will be a low-maintenance vegetable and fruit garden.
I can honestly say that I have never seen my son show so much imagination, joy and contentment as he did spending 3 periods of over an hour outside per day in these 4 days.

He laid in the dirt and pretended to take a bath, then a nap, then would roll around and do something else that only he could understand. He took his dumptrucks over and around the newly created beds and pathways. He followed me to and from a dirt pile, counting "one, twoo, twoo!" with me (I said three instead of two!). He sat on the deck for snacks just sitting there quietly with a little smile, watching and taking in the sun, the birds, mommy and daddy. Sometimes he would just say "momma" and wait for me so he could give me a smile of pure joy. This from a child who I often describe as impatient, a little grump, a little crazy. No, he was Buddha this weekend, and it makes my heart sing.

This is what I was waiting for. Years of hauling compost around, making vegetables and wondering, "what is this all for if we don't have little ones to share it with?" and yearning for a baby. Then Baby came and it's felt like life went still, stagnated, became a whirl of plastics, weight-gain, darkness in many ways, sickness and fatigue. This sharing of joy, cuddles, and seeing my son suddenly know what joy can be found on Earth is what it was for. Is what my life was meant for as a being on Earth. It's wonderful.

We still deal with bedtime, fatigue, plastic toy gifts in overabundance and everything else we thought we'd never let happen or have happen, but there seems to be a spark now of something bigger, grander and special in it all. Thanks be to Gardens.