This Is Living

Our last day on Vancouver Island, we hugged our relatives tightly and tearfully vowed not to wait another 20 years before we visited again. Our travels then took us to a University for William’s work. While he toiled away inside, the kids finished math homework and I read. With a good amount of worksheets completed, we went for a stroll together and foraged for wild blackberries. While ambling along and competing for the fattest berries, the boys discussed their respective plans for the future. William would like to be a geologist and sell the rocks he finds for money. Dabney wants to be an artist and teach art. Henry wants to be a professional skateboarder and 6^th grade teacher (where he will deliver very difficult math tests because his students will be able to handle it). Violet intends to be a princess by profession. And in these moments I was overcome with an immense gratefulness that my children were dreaming enthusiastically, musing hopefully, and considering their futures thoughtfully. These skills are absent when children are absorbed with gaming devices, their thoughts detached from reality and engaged in pointless concerns. Although I had been conflicted by our choice to dispose of the electronics, the days of separation only produced healthier, happier children who are now inclined to imaginative play as opposed to languishing boredom. I’m also thankful for my near isolation from phone and computer as it allows me to be present in the moment as well. Our electronics have a very limited capacity to make our lives better, and beyond that point they only begin to steal our lives away. As I take a deep breath of fresh air and gaze with wonder at stars that cannot be seen from within a city, I am overcome with thankfulness. I have not lived this much in years.