I played kickball today with my nieces and nephews. I cannot tell you the last time I have gotten outside and played a game. It was great fun, although I was not the fastest runner (they are small and much more agile). I did score some runs and had some good kicks. We laughed, cheered, and got in trouble for making too much noise. I wonder why I do not play more often. We grow up and tend to forget to wonder at the small things. I am a bit tired tonight from all of the running. (ok grown-ups unless you are a jogger when was the last time you ran through a grassy field, or for that matter ran at all?) It is a delicious kind of tired. One that comes after a day spent outdoors.

I also took my nephew out to see some birds and it was a good day for that. He is pure luck and he delighted in it every time I remarked on how lucky he was. We saw hundreds of warblers, a "fall-out" where they stop on migration and literally fill the woods. They were like feathered jewels in the trees. He is normally a sad little guy, but today the world put on a show for him. I hope he carries that joy with him for a while. I know I will.