Summer Adventures Begin

I woke up this morning and realized...it's summer.


Today marked the last day of school for my kiddos.  Fourth grade is officially in the books for Sam.  Kate completed second.  And our Claire Bear had a fantastic first year of preschool.


As they headed out the door for a quick half day, I snapped these shots...

 And then at 11:30am prompt, Claire and I rolled up to school in the stroller and a million children flew out of the building screaming for joy.  Kinda like this...

While we were walking reflecting on their day, what they'll miss about school and what they're most excited for about summer...this started to happen...

They gathered sticks and started going on a hunt.  Each of them adopted a quest name.  Sam turned into Aquarius.  Kate morphed into Swift.  And Claire was Twig.  I hung back listening while they talked of mystical beasts in the lush growth of the forest and hidden doors that take you to magical lands and children who get their fingers chopped off if they're poor listeners.

And it hit me...this is what happens in the summertime.  You put on your swim suit in June and don't take it off until August.  You consume 542 cherry popsicles.  You build forts in the backyard and ride your bike everyday.  You climb trees and read and dream...about magical places in far off lands where the unexpected is expected.  And you walk and you walk and you walk and you're a kid and it's the best.

I know that summer can be taxing for parents...figuring out how to not kill your kids when they fight with each other, trying to establish some semblance of a routine, but for me, at least for now, I'm embracing F. Scott Fitzgerald...

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”

It's time for a new life of fun, freedom and rejuvenation...it's summer.

The Wisdom of Maurice Sendak

I've long been a fan of Maurice Sendak, beloved children's author and illustrator (most notably of "Where The Wild Things Are.")

So, I was thrilled when I caught an interview that Terry Gross (host of NPR's "Fresh Air" program) conducted with him this past fall on his latest book "BUMBLE-ARDY."

At 83 years young, Sendak is feeling his age...but as he claims, in a good way.

A few years ago, he lost his partner of 50 years, Eugene.  Recently, he's been saying goodbye to friends like his long-time publisher and family members like his brother.

An atheist, Sendak finds his joy in writing/illustrating, traveling, listening to music and engaging in life.  In an interview he did with a UK publication, "The Guardian," he said, "I refuse to lie to children.  I refuse to cater to the bullshit of innocence."

As Sendak continued with Gross, he talked about the power of growing old and staying young.  He claims that the beauty lies in realizing that life is about living and loving in all of its messiness....and there's no one that does it better than children.  There's no need to lie to them about the monsters that exist in the world or the unfairness of circumstances.  They accept it and find a way to still be kings and tame the unruly beasts.  They find a way to make magic.

There will come a day when we will all die.  So, why not choose to make magic today.  To embrace what we've been given and to create that which we cannot see.  Because as Max so aptly says, "And now, let the wild rumpus start!"