Sarah on a Walk

          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.