Surrealism at its best

On Saturdays we eat a leisurely pancake breakfast and then go out for a 2+ hour hike in the woods near our house. We've been exploring different trails, sometimes we cover a lot of ground, sometimes relatively little.

The exercise and fresh air are great. But another main motivation is to escape the pulls of the Blackberry, household chores and the Internet. And to be really present for life with the kids.

They'll run up ahead, jump over logs, race along with the dog and then eventually come back to chat-- it's a rare opportunity to gain insight into what's really going on in their minds.

Last weekend we were working our way through some thick brush when we stopped to watch a buzzard circling above a field next to us. Unlike the standard buzzard /vulture creatures from cartoons, these birds are gorgeous; graceful and majestic.

This prompted a whole new flood of ideas to come bubbling out. Sometimes participating in these conversations with the boys is like stepping into one of Picasso's artworks-- it's very surreal because their thought patterns jut out at foreign angles, but the composite usually makes a lot of sense when you stop and think about it.

B: What do you think he's hunting for?
Me: Maybe mice?
S: Maybe hares?
B: Hares don't exist!
S: Yes they do! They're like big rabbits!
B: Maybe, but dinosaurs don't exist anymore.
Me: You're right, B, they died out-- they're extinct.
S: I hope you don't die, Mom.
Me: Well, hopefully it won't be for a long time, but someday I will, you know. It's just part of life: everything that lives eventually dies.
S: Yeah, except for three people: Santa Claus, Sinterklaas and some witch in Italy who brings presents to children who have been good.

(Image courtesy of the Online Picasso Project)