Laowai

Lately Claire has picked up on the word enjoy. She will say: this walk in the park, Mommy, I joy it. It’s one of those things that I don’t really want to correct because it makes me smile every time I hear it.

On Labor day we drove home from Michigan and Brian had to be in on a phone meeting part way through the trip. They don’t celebrate Labor Day when we do in Europe and yes – he works way too hard. We parked at a McDonalds and the girls got some orange juice while Brian sat in the car and did his meeting. But this isn’t about the phone call – it’s about the surprisingly happy time the girls and I had when we walked down a road and discovered a lovely little meadow. We could have stayed in the McDonalds for an hour but it was getting me down in there and besides it was a perfect cool morning outside. So we headed out and found a place that looked like a truck turnaround or something, but it was overgrown enough to be a meadow. The first thing I noticed were a bunch of little goldfinches and other birds perched on the teasle. So many of them flitting around in the morning sunshine. Then we walked around some more and I pointed out some pretty grasses that Claire got really excited about. Bea wanted to spot the grasshoppers that kept popping up as we walked through the grass. And then we were so pleased to find a big brown praying mantis. Bea couldn’t stop looking at it. We saw a gray kitty lurking through the grass and a whole bunch of potato bugs too. 

It sometimes feels like we are far from nature compared to our home in Switzerland. But really I just need to remember little times like this – it may not be the alps, but it was absolutely beautiful to be in that little spot on that morning. I joy it.