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September 02, 2008
Hunting for Heart Rocks
A good friend sent me this photo, taken on the beach at Shangri Lar. It captures the essence of this past weekend when we were gifted with the presence of our 9 year-old friend, Emma. She helped Neil assemble two cedar benches for our front porch, appropriating one box which --with a little help from her marker set -- became the World's Smartest Robot. ("Ask. . me. . any. .question.") Later, she and I picked blackberries which we washed, simmered and sieved (is that a word?) before pouring the mixture into our new ice cream maker. The resultant blackberry sorbet immediately made us forget all the scratches we got from the berries' thorns.
While we were berry picking, Neil's desk arrived so that box became a back deck fort, with a sun roof so someone my size could fit inside. Within the cozy confines of four cardboard walls, Emma and I played a dice game called Phase 10. I won't say who won, but let's just say Emma would clean up in Vegas! While we were in the fort, I couldn't help but be reminded of Antoinette Portis' brilliant book, Not a Box.
At low tide, we braved sea grass and cold water to hunt for crab and shells and seastars. Neil tried to convince Emma that there were octopi under the seagrass, waiting to grab her. She didn't bite but she also didn't mind when I offered to carry her through the deepest parts!
Sunday night, we ate Emma's favorite cereal right out of the box while playing a rousing game of Apples to Apples Junior. Monday, we sadly wandered the house, gathering up all the essentials -- stuffed animals, books, shells, bits of ribbon -- that Emma had brought with her or collected over the weekend. She needed to get home for her first day of 4th grade today and we were pretty sure her parents wouldn't let us keep her forever. Sigh. This weekend with Emma made me realize that, even at the bay, I am far too task-oriented. She reminded me that play is just as critical as work in creating a meaningful life.
Neil and I are headed back up to Shangri Lar this weekend, just the two of us, for our 33rd anniversary. As much as we're looking forward to it, I suspect we'll miss Emma and her sense of wonder and imagination.
Maybe I can convince Neil to help me build another cardboard fort.
Posted by kirby at September 2, 2008 10:23 AM