A walk in the woods.

April is hard to predict. Boston can either be gorgeous or dismal in early spring. When it's thirty nine degrees and drizzling with a twenty five mph wind people love to say " Well, at least it's not snowing". Anything to sound optimistic.

      Route one had a few cars on it this morning. No line at Dunkin Donuts. Whenever I head out for the day with my son Ben it always starts at Dunks. He is twelve years old and is almost as big as me. Five ten and 200 pounds. A size twelve foot. I'm an eleven. He can put away a bagel with ham, egg and cheese in about ninety seconds. Then a chocolate covered doghnut washed down with a large iced coffee. My heart swells with pride. He is great company. A very inquisitive mind, conversations are easy and fun. His favorite TV show is Myth Busters. We are off to do errands. This is a Saturday morning ritual if I am not working. We drove up to North Reading to whack out a few tasks. Talking all the way. About so many things it's hard to recall. The exchange never stops. We entertain each other with inane comedy. We were reading street signs aloud but including the address abreviation at the end as a whole word like Jamest or Dennerrd. We were laughing like fools.

      When we returned on the way to the library Ben told me about something he and his friend Ennis found while walking through the woods.I agreed to help him identify it. In South Peabody at the end of most cul de sacs and dead end roads are little thickets of woods. We pulled over and started in. I have always advised Ben that whenever he enters the woods he should find a nice surdy stick. It's nice to have as a guide and stablizer but the real reason I tell him to find one is for the chance that he runs into an undesirable person. Having a staff in hand makes one far less vulnerable. I am a big believer in the theory that bad things happen to all people. You need to be prepared.

  The paths were mostly well trodden with a few dense spots. He led the way and I kept a few paces back so as not to take a limb whip about the face. It's been a while since I walked through the woods. There were the usual tell tale signs of teen camaraderie. A loose fire pit with Bud lite cans and empty packs of Marboro reds strewn about. There was a nicely made bridge over a stream made of branches and logs. Very sturdy. Nice to see kids hard at work improving their enviroment. The thing in the wodds that ben had found appeared to be the remnants of an old kiln for firing bricks. There was a stone foundation and a very rusted iron frame built into it. Lying adjacent was a square tin dome with two chimney holes in it. The supports had rotted away. There bricks of various size here and there. I explained this to Ben and imagined an Italian family living here fifty years ago or so at the risk of seeming stereotypical. I saw Ben registering this explanation and could imagine him explaining this to Ennis the next time the two of them venture into the trees.

    This is not a throw away moment. Not just another day. While nothing remarkable occured today it was nonetheless significant. Just the pure experience of time enjoyed together. Talking back and forth. Laughing. Eating. Walking. Together. As I age times like this come into much sharper focus. Over the last ten years I have experienced loss. My heart knows that time is fleeting and that sometimes things you love go away forever. No day is wasted. Each day is a treasure. Today I am whole and healthy. I pray that tomorrow will come with more happiness to enjoy.