Defying Gravity

It’s a real treat to pick up my daughters after school and walk home with them, especially as spring works its way into their blood. They and their schoolmates are at the age (5-7) where the only way to get from point A to point B is to run, preferably over the wildest terrain possible. There was a stretch of years in my early adulthood when I had recurring dreams of defying gravity, a la Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Watching my daughters fly pal mal over the surreal terrain of melting snow-banks, I see where those dreams come from. They are completely heedless of gravity, sprinting over the crests, and careening wildly down the other side, picking themselves up and yelling, “I’m okay!” (Their pants, alas, don’t fare as well.) Delirious. Wonderful.