so kidtastic.

Maybe it’s because these past few weeks have been extra kid-filled, but lately kids remind me of how good life is, how little things are worth getting excited over. It’s liberating to squeal and break out into ridiculous dance moves. I love the sweetness of playing make-believe and giggling about anything and everything. That youth-inspired goofiness is a natural high, an instantaneous pick-me-up. I smile about those little things a lot, and figure sharing a favorite memory might be the best way to show why.

I paralleled to the curb and flicked the key toward me. As the engine settled, I crossed my forearms over the wheel, let my head fall. The day felt so much longer than most. I had called my best friend’s aunt after class, and she said I could stop by; the kids would be happy to see me.

Back when I first met Drew, I was with my neighbors (who also happen to be my best friend’s family) and some of their cousins for a holiday play and a pancake house treat. As we left the play, Drew looked up at me and said bashfully, “I want to sit by youuuu.” His small, raspy four year old voice must’ve pinked my cheeks—he was just so adorable! Two years later when I moved to their city for college, I knew I’d be inviting myself over to that family’s house often. Like all little kids, Drew and his little sister, Ava, liked to show-and-tell their newest toys. Drew was shy and always waited quietly with his Lego creations while Ava bounced around or leapt into my lap, waving a doll in my face. Those kiddos have always lifted me up effortlessly. I banked on their gleeful energy to be contagious.

As I sat in the car, I thought about how much I’d love a hug from Ava. My last time over, she’d been in a mommy-only mood. She use to run and hug me the second she saw me, so the lack of that greeting didn’t go unnoticed. I figured she’d still be in that phase, reasoning that it wouldn’t, or at least shouldn’t, bother me. I bumped my car door shut and looked up just as the front door smacked against the side of their house. Ava ran at me, flailing her arms spastically and shouting “SarasarasarasarasaraSARA!!!!!!” She monkey-jumped to my hip and latched her arms around my neck. “I’ve been waiting for you forehhhhver!” she sang as I swung her down. Drew smiled from the doorway and eye-motioned to the Lego spaceship dangling at his knee. After a few minutes of bounding around the front yard, I chased the kids inside and spent the remainder of the afternoon as a human jungle-gym and master story-teller.