All day, I have been thinking about what to write about for this week’s
blog post. My mind kept coming up
blank. If I am being completely honest,
I have not been outside very much this week.
It’s that time of year when school is becoming more demanding and
assignment deadlines are fast-approaching, hence the reason why I have spent
most of my week indoors with my face buried in textbooks. However, this afternoon, just like most
Fridays, I had to babysit the 3-year-old daughter of family friends. This little girl, who I will refer to as G, absolutely
loves being outside. She could spend
hours simply walking around her yard, playing with her dog in the grass, and
swinging in her beloved Little Tikes tree swing. So, naturally, when I got to her house today,
she immediately wanted to go outside.
She decided she wanted to take a walk down the street to a little bridge
so she could try to look for ducks in the water. We bundled up in our coats and, with her
little hand in mine, we started off down the sidewalk. As always, within ten seconds, we were
stopping every couple of steps so G could collect whatever she found on the
ground. This happens every time we go on
a walk—she spends most of the time stooped low, picking up things like sticks,
leaves, and acorns to show her mommy and daddy when they get home. After ten minutes, we had only made it about one
block, and the pockets of our jackets were filled with little pieces of nature
she had collected. At this point, she
forgot about the ducks and decided she wanted to return home to play on her
swing. So, we walked back (traveling
much faster because we were no longer collecting twigs and pebbles) and I
pushed her in her swing for the better part of an hour.
Eventually she became hungry and tired, so we went
inside to snack on grapes and graham cracker bites shaped like Minions. I was in the kitchen rinsing the grapes in
the sink when I felt little arms wrap around my leg. I looked down at G, who looked back up at me
and said “I love you” as she handed me these two leaves:
 |
| G's Leaves 10/9/15 |
She told me she wanted me to keep one and bring the
other one home to my brother Sam. My
heart melted. I may be a little biased
(okay, I totally am), but G is the sweetest little kid in the whole world. What other three-year-old is as thoughtful as
she is? I picked her up and gave her a
big hug, then put the leaves by my purse on the counter to keep them safe until
I got home. I gave one leaf to my
brother who, not surprisingly, was less sentimental about the situation than I
was. I, however, pinned my leaf up on my
bulletin board for safekeeping. Every
time I look at that leaf, I will be reminded of the adorable little redhead who
gave it to me and of the wonderful day we spent together.
