Red light, Green light

We brought the old red baby jogger out of storage last week. The sidewalks were too free of snow to pull the boys in a sled but not free enough to get out the their bikes. We were short on the time and patience that it takes to let them walk without some kind of vehicle, and I refused to drive a half mile. Ryan was off of work, so he pushed nearly 80 pounds of children to art class. They easily resumed the jogger zone-out, which is strikingly similar to the CTA trance. We were there in 10 minutes.

This week we did the same routine except on the way home I pushed a jogger full of art and called out "Red light ... Green light!" as they ran ahead. The red lights were spaced just far enough apart that they didn't notice it was mostly up hill. About a block into it, Dietrich became an emergency vehicle, donned imaginary lights and was no longer subject to red, green, or yellow. Elliott kept up the game, but slowed after a few steps into each green light. Then he did laps -- way ahead, then back to the jogger and me, then behind us and way ahead again. Dietrich needed a bigger vehicle, so he took on the jogger, though still not being tall enough to see over the top, it crunched into the snow banks. He finally gave up on that and held the leash on the handle which is about the poorest way to steer a jogger. "Maybe you can push this and I'll go ahead, yeah, that's okay!" he called as he caught up to Elliott.

I kept calling out green, red and yellow lights even though the rules had long demised. The air had returned to its winter claim on my face, but my hands were in warm gloves and feet in brand new smartwools. The boys kept running, stopping and starting again as noted by the sound of clompy boots on the sidewalk ahead of me. I often say it is my job to "wear them out" so that they sleep well at night. But it is also my delight to see their bodies in motion. I marvel that they not only run, but run and laugh and find snow to pick up and read a bumper sticker on a parked car and devise a vehicle to pretend to be all at the same time. Their constant motion can be excruciating when trying to get dressed and teeth brushed and boots on and jackets and where is your hat? and please stop moving! But when it is on an unhurried walk home it brings me back to why I am with them and who I am and whose I am, too.