I’m sitting under the shade of our magnificent oak tree. It’s a perfect day. The sun shines brightly in a robin’s egg-blue sky. We are on the cusp of a change in season…only a few short weeks before we experience the sweltering heat that summer brings.

I slide my sandals off and my feet find themselves resting on a green velvety carpet. I can’t resist wiggling my toes in the grass. Fresh and cool…the blades of grass caress my weary feet. I feel a tickle as a tiny ant makes the journey from a blade of grass to land on my foot.

Surprisingly, the feel of the grass on my feet connects to memories held deep in the recesses of my mind and I find myself remembering the cool green grass of another time and place.

I was 7 years old living in Toronto in the summer of 1966. My siblings and I spent summer breaks outside playing with neighbourhood friends. On the front lawn we played games like; Red Rover, Simon Says, and What Time Is It Mr. Wolf? Sometimes we just sat outside on the lawn, the thick cool grass providing a soft blanket for a makeshift picnic. We played until Mom called us in for dinner. We ate quickly so we could go back outside to play until the street lights came on just before dark.

On especially hot days, Dad might arrive home from work with a bag of 5 cent popsicles in tow. He bought assorted flavors and we got to choose what we wanted, My favourites were banana and chocolate and on a good day, we broke them in half down the middle and traded so I would have both of my favourites together.

I remember the freedom of playing barefoot outside. Just seven years old, I wasn’t preoccupied with losses and wounds from my past. Nor was I worried about what the future held for me. I was carefree, having fun, fully present in the moment.

Being present to this moment. That is the invitation I am sensing as I sit here. Freedom from the pain of the past and free from the fear and anxiety about the future. In this moment, last night’s news is forgotten. There is no hate, no hunger, no pandemic. Instead, I experience the joy of feeling alive. I am aware of the breath that fills my lungs and the beauty that surrounds me. I am filled with peace and gratitude. All because I slowed to sit with bare feet in the grass.