Going on a picnic...

It is a beautiful Sunday. My spirits are content just drinking in the sun. The backyard beckons. We rally round - Oggie, Ana, D and I. While D dances with the shovel and rake, Ana and I savor the softness of the cool fresh lawn under our feet. Oggie busies himself exploring his summer haunt.

As I watch Ana ease into her role, showing Oggie where to look for worms and how to avoid getting stung, Raffi's song keeps echoing in my head:
Going on a picnic, leaving right away
If it doesn't rain, we'll stay all day.
Did you bring the strawberries?
Yes, I brought the strawberries...

We leave D to caress and cajole the soil for the upcoming season and tromp over to the park nearby, equipped with a blanket, some fruits and things, and our genial smile.

Something about the warmth of the sun piercing the chillness of the wind and the spring blossoms offering sweet sights and smells stirs the spirit to bring forth the most pleasant memories... Amid the wild, excited activity in the park, I experience a certain stillness of the soul that even the quiet of the night fails to offer sometimes.

Contentment comes not from having everything you want, but from wanting nothing , I remember my dad expounding...

Perhaps that's why I subconsciously cringe at Ana's, "I want..." and immediately remind her to rephrase it to, "I would like...", in an effort to prepare her for fewer wants in life without smothering her exuberance and expectations as she blossoms.


Shuttling between the swings adding momentum to Oggie and Ana, I delight in the simple pleasures that seem endangered in the eternal rush of modern life.