angelbirdflies

Happy All Hallows Eve I will post more photos soon but here's an insiders peek.

Lair o' the Bear. A day showered in gold, serenaded by the dance of leaves under foot and the song of water rushing over rock.  Have I mentioned lately that I ADORE hiking/walking/meandering/wandering in nature.  It is a haven from the busy thinking me, who plagues my days with constant doings.    Owen found several promising sticks for wand making. Bodhi discovered vanilla scented sap from a beloved, beetle infested evergreen.  We oohed and ahhed over natures splendor, bedecked in ravishing, breathtaking glory.  Bodhi climbed rocks..  and trees. The boys actually got along famously!  And both boys spent many excited hours collecting fairy house supplies (Note: this is a fabulous way to keep young hikers motivated.  I milked 2 miles out of them at a solid pace, without them noticing...well plus several snacks to keep them moving.) It was, yet another, fabulous day in my favorite hideout...NATURE.

Favorite Bodhi quote of the day: I don't have to put on my hat! I put on my glove so my hand won't blow off.  It is so windy.

Okay, Summer has officially begun and Bodhi is chasing fun with wild abandon and I am stumbling after him, always inspired by his exuberance for life, for being, for experience.   

Can anyone say CHARACTER!  This kid is a whirlwind.  I have never known any human with more zest for living, more lust for the moment, more intensity of being.  When mad he is PISSED, when happy he is a contagion of enthusiasm.  The emotional spectrum may flood within a few short minutes.  His 'no holds barred' approach to everything is exhausting and inspiring. Bodhi.  

Imagine... A half clothed three-year old, running ahead of you on the trail, his muddy feet and bare legs kicking behind him in the characteristic gait of the very young. He is chasing, with headlong abandon, after an imaginary friend named, "Now". Yep, "Now". All the while, he is yelling after his speedy friend, saying, "Get back here Now. Hey Now, Now, Now! Mommy, Now isn't listening to me!" "NOW get back here!". As far as I could discern, 'Now' was not a friend to stroll alongside, or chat mildly with about the weather or the quickening of spring all around. Rather, to simply keep Now in sight, one needed to maintain a dead run. Sadly, Now eventually disappeared over the horizon and was forgotten. Well, the message wasn't lost. I am forever chasing after something.  In a hurry, I race after the time-piece wielding rabbit who dives as readily into his rabbit hole, out of sight. I have been thinking a lot about busynes...

Okay, I know Bodhi is three now and it is time to let go of the binkie (aka mana) even if he uses it just for sleeping, but that doesn't make it any easier. We decided that the best thing to do was to deliver the two remaining mana's to the fairies. We found a special box and Bodhi placed his comforting old friends inside along with a few special notes to the fairies. We went for a hike in the red rock area. Bodhi found a special spot tucked away in a crevice and protected from the wind. He placed his special box there and we said a few blessings. We enjoyed a light picnic and climbed around for a while. When we left Bodhi said good bye again with a spontaneous Namaste. He slept 3 hours last night, crying in my arms. Sometimes the process of growing can be painful.

Bodhi has become very interested in the homeless population of Denver. He asks questions, like, "Mama, does he have a home?" or "Where does he live?", etc. Recently he began requesting that we read all the signs they hold up toward oncoming traffic, "Old cowboy down on his luck", "You're getting very sleepy", "Anything helps", "Being homeless is no joke", "Willing to work", etc. I often carry granola bars in the console of our car to give when we see someone in need. As we were driving home from work on Friday, Bodhi asked me to read another sign asking for money. Bodhi asked if I had any money and I said "Yes". He asked me to give it to him so that he could give it to a "homeless". I gave him a dollar. Shortly we pulled up to a man standing on the corner holding a cardboard sign and looking haggard. I rolled down my window and explained that there was a young man in the back seat who...

On Thursday night, as I snuggled into my favorite spot in the front room with the book, Practicing the Presence , by Goldsmith, a loud bellow rang through the house, "HONEY! COME HERE!". "No!" I thought as I planted myself deeper in the pillows of the sofa. The call came again and again, with a rising panic and mirth. ARGH! The frequency of mama's quiet moments are pretty slim and being called into mother duty after 15 hours on call, isn't always welcome. I walked toward the family room and to my surprise, I caught the distinct waft of something unpleasant and saw Bodhi perched on the tiny toilet he has never used. He was perfectly proud of himself as he announced, "Mama, I poop in the living room!". Imagine that and I just thought I would read myself into relaxation.

Owen discovered a frog on a recent family outing. Bodhi was enthralled...in love...in rapture. Surely there was a sort of cross species resonance. The frog jumping and swimming and Bodhi laughing, hopping and whooping right behind. There is such a beauty in his full throttle engagement with life...his lusty pursuit of the moment. I stand in awe as I watch him strip naked in public, laugh at the furrowed brows surrounding him, speak louder than expected and live 'bigger' than is often accepted. I smile after him. Proud. I have spent so much of my life making excuses for occupying breathing space, trying to justify my existence and unearth a purpose or value. Bodhi just announces, "I'M HERE" and it is enough. It is enough. I am so fortunate call him son.

Bodhi and I made a lovely lavendar batch of play-dough. I then showed him how to roll it out with a rolling pin. I left him rolling, or kind of rolling, attired in his favorite summer wear- nothing. A few minutes later he handed me this perfectly flat piece and said, "LOOK MOMMY!!". "Wow, Bodhi, did you roll that out". "No mama, I'll show you." Then he placed the play-dough on a table, stepped on it once to slightly flatten, then sat his bare butt on top of it and bounced up and down smiling before standing up, pointing at the flattened bit of dough and beaming up at me, "SEE MAMA!". Well there's more than one way to roll out your play-dough. If you'd like to try this out on your favorite little person, here's the recipe, however beware of working in the nude: Play Dough (stove-top recipe) -best texture and lasts for months when refrigerated in an air tight container. 2 cups flour 4T oil, scant 1 cup salt 2 cups c...

The summer sun casts its golden gaze through our eastern windows, reddening the thermometer at this early hour. Bodhi kicks and talks from his horizontal vantage, a motley colored play mat. He smiles up at me, a sun dappled face glowing like King Midas eager for gold. His lips part and the sound "mmmm" escapes, followed by a long gutteral aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. My narcissitic maternal ear imagines this to be his first word, an eager communication with the world beginning from a central point, "mom". His assuring smile is followed by a parade of consonant vowel combinations. Each vowel drawn out by a primal growl deep in his throat, akin to a yell but deeper in resonance. His smile lands like a butterfly across his face and the call, "mmmmmmaaaaaaahhhhh", takes flight. He stares at me, brows furrowing quickly into a scowl, arms outstreched, "MAAAAAAHHHH". The room clouds over and a thunderous cry replaces the sunny calm. I bend, hands rea...