Play

It’s the end of September and unseasonably warm. Not just warm, but hot. After a brief glimpse of Autumn, the heat and humidity of Summer burst back in the door like a bully. Intent on not being forgotten.

Sweat rolls down my back as I organize the garden shed. I finished building it a few weeks ago and haphazardly threw everything in it. The small shed smells of fresh cut grass mixed with the sweet scent of pine from leftover fence wood. The doors are wide open. A feeble attempt to cool down. But the air is still and thick.

The kids play quietly by themselves in a patch of sunlight. The rays slowly receding as the sun falls in the sky behind the tree line. There’s a soft glow that falls on their head like the halo of cherubs.

I can hear faint hisses of whispered words as they pretend. Off in their own headspace, unconcerned with the real world around them.

I kneel down to snap a few quick photos of them, trying to be stealthy. Unseen. I like to capture candid moments like this. Moments where they are themselves rather than playing it up for the camera.

I put the phone down and sit in the grass a few yards away. Just watching them enjoy the simple things.

Like playing with little toy construction vehicles in a patch of dirt.