These Are the Days of Our Lives

I am lying on our plush blanket in the soft, wet grass staring up at the sky. Tufts of white cotton candy slowly float by; I see a dinosaur hidden in a particularly grandiose cloud. I point out the T. Rex to Charlotte and she laughs at my silliness. Her laughter is especially sweet as she has been sick on and off for several weeks. I live to see her face light up as it does in this instant. After marveling at the sky, she turns back to her chalk drawings. She is currently working on a village of robots. She has sketched these rectangular, stick-legged beings all over our cement walk, but they are also on every paper surface inside our home, too. Since plucking the image from her imagination the other day, she has been doodling them nonstop. She is proud of her creations, and I am proud of her creativity and development. The clouds continue to crawl by.

A bird chirps shrilly and Adam stirs next to me, but only to reach out and caress my arm. He is lying inches away on the velvety blanket. It isn’t one I should be using for a front lawn picnic. It’s not waterproof, or even easily cleaned, but it is cozy. I forgo what “should be” for what “makes us happiest” this afternoon. Adam’s nap time is impending, so he is tired. But, in this moment he is silent and enjoying the beauty above our heads and the comfort below our backs. I turn to him and gently pet his temple, his favorite spot to be touched. He looks up at me and smiles, brushing his tiny fingers along my cheek, only grabbing for a brief moment. Then he rolls back over to gaze at the vast expanse above our heads.

In this moment, life is perfect. Despite the fact that we are not deplete of heart ache or stress, we are happy.  We are all very much present in the beauty surrounding us. We breathe deeply and love infinitely. These are the days of our lives.