Mud Season.

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder…he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement, and mystery of the world we live in.

RACHEL CARSON, “THE SENSE OF WONDER”

Mud season is real. For the first years of my life, I lived on a farm in northern New Hampshire, where spring meant longer days and warmer sun. The earth cracked open yielding water from the previously frozen ground. The trees bent and moaned. The song birds returned to create new homes. The maple trees slowly dripped sap into buckets. I vividly remember how the wet decaying leaves contrasted the new curly bright green ferns opening into the light. All my senses delighted.

A paradoxically beautiful and messy time of year.

Now, I live in a city and long for mud season. I believe adults and children need the natural world; being outside benefits the mind, body, and spirit, tremendously.

As a mother, I have witnessed the power of technology and the world of electronic devices, both positive and negative. Play outside this spring and summer. Go camping, hiking, walking, local park hopping, bug seeking, or create an outdoor mud kitchen.

Enjoy the beautiful mess.