Alex and the Blue Chalk

Yesterday spring arrived for the day. It was bright, sunny and somewhat warm. Alex played outside drawing lines and star bursts with sidewalk chalk. When it was time to pick-up big sissy from school Alex asked if she could bring the chalk along to which I quickly said no, but allowed her to bring just one stick of chalk.

We walked along stopping every few feet so that she could mark a spot on the ground. I told her that she couldn't markup our neighbors driveways or rockery and that she had to keep it to the sidewalks. We walked at a leisurely pace soaking in the sunshine and enjoying each others company. Alex and I always have wonderful conversations but on this day she asked, "Does everybody have to have a baby?" We've had this conversation before and so I answered as I always do telling her that it's her choice to have a baby if she wants to or not. To which she replied, "Good, because I don't want to have a baby when I grow up. Because if I have a baby that means you'll be a Grammy and if you're a Grammy you'll get old. I don't want you to get old because if you get old that means you'll die." All of sudden I felt like a black cloud was following me. I strongly dislike these types of conversations because 1). they make me sad, and 2). how can I answer this question truthfully? Yes, we all get old and yes, we all must die. How tragic. I told her that she was being silly and moved on to a different topic.

As we continued on our journey, Alex proceeded to write on the sidewalk and then on herself. Then suddenly I realized we were living in Harold and the Purple Crayon. Only Alex was using blue chalk rather than a purple crayon. Once we started living in the moment, and not thinking or talking about dying, the sun came out again and the dark cloud disappeared. I was happy again.

Alex even stopped to color a stick.

After picking up Sammy we sauntered back home... still making stops whenever the mood struck us.

Sammy said that at school they learned scientist were working on finding a way for humans to live on the moon, and so naturally Sammy had to practice her moon walk just in case she ends up living on the moon.

Children are so funny aren't they? One minute its talk about death and dying and the next, we're practicing for when we have to live on the moon.  Oh, and didn't Harold go to the moon or to outer space with his crayon?