Puddles

As you go through life, there are moments now and then that make you stop, sit up, and take notice of your surroundings rather than blindly rushing headlong down the path of daily humdrum. One of those moments happened to me this morning.

It's a dull, grey, rainy day here in the nation's capital. The rain started just before midnight last night. I heard it falling softly as I was watching the late night news before bed. The rain continued through the dark hours, drenching the budding flowers, soaking the newly mown lawn, pooling in puddles in the crevices of sidewalks and dips in the concrete on streets.

Petite loves the puddles. She relishes the idea of stomping gleefully in them, her feet protected from the water by her much loved rainboots... brown with pink polka dots this season, to match her splash suit. She has recently discovered the fun and fantasy of carrying an umbrella as well.

I remember as a little girl, I loved umbrellas. Something about having an open umbrella in my hand transported me to a wonderful world of pretty parasols, of polite company, of the gentillesse that accompanies the finer things. A Mary Poppins world of sorts, I suppose, even at a very young age. I'm not entirely certain if Petite feels this way when she carries her pink Dora and Boots umbrella, but her face lights up at the prospect of carrying it nonetheless. So a part of me fantasizes that she too is transported to some magical world of wonder with an umbrella in hand.

This morning when she spied the rain beating down, her eyes lit up at the understanding that she could wear her rain boots AND carry her umbrella today to daycare. She threw herself wholeheartedly into the process of getting ready to leave the house, happy to have such a reward.

For to her, these things are special. What we as adults view as a burden ("Ugh, miserable weather. Now I have to deal with a raincoat and an umbrella, boots/shoes that can handle the water, etc.") she views with the unbridled excitement of childhood. Petite experiences them through a child's eyes. And for just a few moments this morning, so did I.

Outside, she found a big puddle at the end of our walkway and stopped short. She jumped down off the step into it, loving the way the water splashed about and made droplets fly hither and yon. Petite's upturned face looked into mine from under her pink umbrella, "Mommy jump too? Come on! Splash Mommy!" I was so busy enjoying how she was experiencing this moment, I didn't even think she might want me to splash with her. Unfortunately I had to say no; my shoes weren't conducive to such frolicking! For me, I found it wonderful simply to enjoy watching her, and knowing how much she loved to splash about.

I dropped Petite at daycare, and continued on my way to the office, going about my day as usual. At some point during the morning, a coworker said something to me that triggered my memory of Petite's splashing and her smiling face, holding her umbrella with such joy this morning. I stopped what I was working on. And this thought occurred to me:

Wouldn't it be wonderful if Mommy had a pair of rain boots too so I could splash with Petite?

Frankly, we all need a pair of rain boots, don't we? It would be absolutely thrilling if each and every one of us had rainboots so we could enjoy the moment... when it presents. We would all be much happier for it.

Carpe Diem. Go splash in a puddle today, if you can. Whether you're big or small. Old or young. Whether you have a child or not... splashing in puddles IS FUN. Just pure fun.

I think I'll kick off my shoes a little later, turn up my pants and splash away!