Returning to the playground

Adorable and precious
the sound of laughing babies

though nothing compares to the sound of laughter
layered with a full range of notes, revealing life’s complexity

laughter that begins deep in a belly that has felt its share of sorrow and grief
laughter that isn’t just reacting to a wiggly toy, goofy noise, or silly expression
laughter that can reduce walls of stone to dust, erasing a lifetime of seriousness
laughter that delights in its own playfulness and truly understands its significance

a precious sound
that can turn life into a playground

One of my goals when I began this blog in the late summer of 2019 was to add more play to my structured and stressed existence. I longed for that. I needed that. We all do! I wrote it out, as part of my life goals just after turning fifty, including that desire in at least one published post.

Four years and some change later I can confidently claim I have accomplished this goal; however, I shall never cross it off my “list” because it is not a task that will ever feel completed – it is a state of being, weaving its way into my revised existence. Rediscovering the child within, one could say. It’s never easy to shed layers of behaviors and beliefs, whatever they may be, en route to a desired outcome, but it sure feels good to arrive at a destination. To kick your feet up, sit for a spell, and take it all in.