Why we get outside

I had one of those heart pounding, catch your breath moments today during our family walk.

It's been kind of cold and foggy today and we spent most of the day inside but the sun came out late afternoon and we went for a walk to the park.  Pretty basic, hold hands, look both ways, avoid dog poop type stuff.

The girls are getting awesome and it takes more and more for them to think I'm superman.  Today I introduced that thing where you push them on the swing and then run completely under them.  I'm sure I'd remember the name for what that is called except I've replaced that memory area of my braid in more important things like annoying song lyrics.

So, we played, climbed, didn't slide because of wet slides and jumped quite a bit and then headed home.  So far the most exercise was trying not to get kicked in the head while pushing on swings and the occasional pull up I tried to do on the monkey bars.

Then the event happened.  As we walked past a neighbors tree this bird swooped right over our heads and swerved over a couple of branches at an amazing speed and then poof.  A bunch of feathers fell to the ground and about 10 feet past the feathers there was a death scene as a little bird lost to the big, fast, ferocious predator bird.  The bird picked up its dinner and flew a bit further and started eating.

You wonder why I'm telling you this gruesome story...because over the next few days I'm going to tell everyone and you just happen to be the first.  Seeing nature in its reality creates problems for us parents.  First, we need to explain in non-nightmare causing terms that a bird killed another bird and is eating its brains for supper.  Second, there is something in that flight and fierceness that leaves me speechless and amazed and just wanting to jump around like an idiot yelling, "Did you just see that" but I've learned not to frighten my girls with shouting and jumping too much.  Finally, it makes me feel vulnerable.  Like I'm that happy song bird in the tree and before I start my "oh no, a ferocious falcon..." song, I'm lunch. 

Wow, that last one is a bit too much isn't it.  I'm not a doom and gloom person but wow, nature does make you think about realities.

So we were outside today and I'm so thankful we went.  Yes, nature causes questions and maybe a few nightmares for kids and parents but "wow, did you just see that!"