Scavenger Hunt

It is hard to have hope. Then I went for a walk in the woods. There were children with their parents on the trail. They bopped along from left to right, searching for something among the trees, the fallen leaves.

On my way back to the trailhead I found what they were seeking — little painted rocks hidden in crevices along the path. A scavenger hunt put on by Mother Nature, or somebody’s mother.

Surely this game a creation from a mother — thoughtfulness with brightly painted scenes of water, land, and sky in order to stand out. Distraction from the noise of our broken world, the one we built while sleeping. Guidance to what is important to learn as a child living through a pandemic.

I’m fearful of what we’re leaving for our children. We fret over their screen time, data usage, how technology will negatively impact their malleable, growing brains. Yet we allow ourselves, their parents, a hard pass on the matter. Scrolling while they play in our peripherals, sending emails while they nourish their bellies from our milk. The answers for our children are not on the screen. The ones we as parents are addicted to, not our children.

Our children are waiting for us to wake up. To teach them, play with them, help them find the brightly-colored rocks on the wooded trail. They know what matters. It is our responsibility to show them.

thank you to the Mother who led me to this so I can remember.