Enjoying Everywhere

My family spent last weekend with cousins camping at the Grand Teton National Park. Even though my three year old son asked everyday if he could play the DS (nintendo) when we got back home, the kids said a few other things worth remembering:

“This really is a real, live forest!”

“Let’s play camping.” 

To play camping you skip through the trail singing, “We’re camping! We’re camping!”

“Don’t shuffle your feet like that!" (Along the trail) “It sounds like bears sneezing!”

“Don’t worry. If a bear comes my mom will bonk him on the head with her shovel." 

(A hand shovel brought along for bathroom breaks)

I loved how every. single. person. we passed while had a smile and hello to share.
“How are you? You enjoying your hike? What have you seen?” With their backpacks and sweat and sunburns, everyone shared an understood gratitude for the privilege to spend this time outside with Earth.

I found that nature is a gracious, restorative, real live thing. 

Watching the three year old fall on his back to flail his arms and legs in the dirt confirmed everything.

He was making dirt angels.

You see, angels are found everywhere even beyond prestine, freshly fallen snow.