Mudlucious Puddle Jumping - In the Park

Squish. Slurp. The ground is seeping with water, the earth is thick and rich and sticky. On my path today through the mudlucious woods, I walk carefully. Even the little ups and downs on the path are tricky. I slip and slide.

After a few days of sunshine and warm temperatures, it's back to our normal spring in the Pacific Northwest...rain, wind and more rain. The lake is filled to the brim and even the geese and ducks are trying to dry out on the grassy banks. The paved pathways are covered with worms swimming from one puddle to the next. It's a robin's feast day.

Crossing the bridges over the lake, I look over the railing and watch the water rushing underneath me. I'm glad to be safely above it. I notice that the ducks and geese that normally hang out on this end of the lake, are also safely perched on the island today.

The puddles are everywhere. Jilly walks calmly through them, while I do my little hop, skip and jump as I try to puddle jump and keep my feet dry. Why? I can always dry off at home and, happily, I realize that it's only a few minutes walk away. So instead of avoiding the puddles, I start to really look at them. The shapes, the colors of the water and mud. But I see more than that, as I look down at the puddle, I see trees, new leaves and the sky. I wonder, at this new view, like a special rainy day portal. As I look down, I see what's above me. I wonder, then, about all the time I spend looking down at my feet and how much I must miss in the rest of the time and space above me.