The Sun Rains

I walk out my front door and begin to jog slowly. She rides next to me on her bike. Then she looks over to me and smiles. We move over grass and along the sidewalks, then down the steep hill in our neighborhood. Ahead of us her sister rides with the wind in her hair. Swerving with a certain rhythm, she glides down the quiet street. It’s summer now and the air is warm from the sun raining down. A gentle breeze blows on our backs.

We stop at the playground. They spun there on tire swings as toddlers. Tether ball, basketball, soccer, kite flying, skateboarding. We’ve done them all there over the years. I stretch and they squeeze in a few minutes on what is now just little kid’s stuff. We move on, through next neighborhood. They roll while I run. We cruise past the young families, strollers. My youngest watches her sister, but stays close to me. Stopping when I lag. I feel no pressure to run faster, just a desire to absorb the moments.

We stop for a drink. Soft drinks for them, an Americano for me. What am I thinking? I can’t drink a hot beverage in the middle of a run on warm summer day. It sounded good when I ordered it. Then we move again, heading back to our house, this time up the rolling hills, along a trail where lizards like to cross our path. We walk up the steepest section, until we make our way back home.


These are the moments.