On Tuesday it was kind-of rainy. In the bay area, when it is cloudy, you can't ever depend on the weather staying the same from moment to moment or block to block. I was at school and needed some fresh bread and veggies so biked to the farmers market. It just so happened that it was lunch time and I was hungry and there was a really yummy-looking mexican food stand just standing there, waiting for my hungry belly and wallet. So, I ordered two taquitos with fresh avocado salsa, black beans and rice (remember, I said HUNGRY!). Then, there was the problem of where to sit. They hadn't set up the table and chairs due to the intermittent rain (it was not raining at that moment, and I was praying it would hold long enough for me to eat lunch). SO, I found a Safeway plastic bag in my bag and sat on the curb, feasting.
The light was just magical. The rain had made everything just stand on end with vibrant green. The clouds were moving and light and dark and everything in between. There was a good size stream of rain water running down the side of the road, by the curb where I sat. And then about 10 kids probably around the age of five came to where I was sitting. They were probably on a field trip, or getting outside to let out some energy during this brief rest of rain. One kid saw the stream of water and the curb. I could see his thought wheels turning. Suddenly he started running towards me. I held my food close. Run, run, run, leap over the water and onto the curb. He turned around with a huge grin on his face. The others turned their attention to this fun game and joined in, running and jumping over the stream and onto the curb. "I can fly! I can fly!" they all started chanting as they ran. I was enthralled. Ok, I was also a little worried that one of them would fall and splash the rain water all over my precious lunch, but the entertainment was hard to beat. The teacher woman looked over at me empathetically as she tried to get the kids to jump a little further away from me. I told her that it was fine and fun to be surrounded by kids and I could move if I wanted.
More than fun, it was kind-of a public, impromptu blessing. I was worn and feeling burnt out and here was this wave of energy and excitement for life buzzing, singing and leaping all around me. The rain and damp air were my water and the kids my ministers for this strange kind-of baptism I had fallen into.
I also noticed another, younger girl who was not part of the group but there with her father looking longingly at this fun game happening. Her dad asked her if she wanted to jump and she timidly nodded her head. They walked over and he held her hand and she tried it out. This was a challenge that the kids had plunged into with intense playfulness. It was kind-of scary (for me sitting there in the target line, and for the little girl who was a little smaller and newer to the game), but that didn't mean joy and fun couldn't be added to the challenge.
As someone who often takes life too seriously, getting weighed down by the seeming enormity of challenges, I so savored this little blessing of farmers market children on this rainy spring day.
