Leaves

We have a big yard and it is leaf blowing season. I created a huge pile of leaves with my new leaf blower. We have been having a lot of fun over the last few weeks. You would come running and jump over the pile. It is so much fun to see you enjoy the simple pleasures of life while I try out new features on my phone like the - slow motions video and the awesome leaf blower. You are the perfect model giggling and following my directions. 

As you were playing, the "crunch crunch" sound of the leaves reminded me of a similar sound from my childhood. While growing up, we had a jack fruit tree in front of our house with gorgeous big leaves that would fall on the terrace of our house. My mother and I would go up the terrace and sweep all the leaves. 

She would do most of the sweeping while I play with the leaves. But I had one important function - When the bucket gets filled with leaves that she had swept, I had to crush the leaves. The leaves were quite brittle and it was fun to climb into the bucket and pretend to be a robot or a machine and stomp on them. I would pretend to be giant robot and say “ Giant robot, Crush the leaves” Giant robot was an old TV program for kids where a boy could control a giant robot.

Your playing and the crunching leaves brought me right back to my childhood of carefree playing.

It is different countries, different eras, but the same fun and bonding! It may seem that things are different, but fundamentally it is all the same!