AIP

I hope those of you who celebrate Easter enjoyed your holiday yesterday. It was really nice to see people reunited with family on social media. We're slowly, but surely, shifting. And what a beautiful day we had in New England--a true blue spring day!

My Easter Sunday started early with me setting the breakfast table, and Roo hiding the eggs outside before sunrise. Then we enjoyed our coffee while we waited for Pip and Phoebe to announce if the Easter Bunny had come. I opened my computer with the intention to write into the blue, but it wasn't working. When I eventually heard Pip and Phoebe ooo-ing and aww-ing over the contents of their Easter baskets, I shut my computer, and listened to their sweet back-and-forth. Soon they came to find us, and together, we went through their Easter goodies.

Normally, we would sit down for a family breakfast at this point. But today our Eggs Benedict and egg hunt would have to wait: Phoebe had to work at 730am at the neighboring pony barn. She suited up in her hand-me-down camo pants, grabbed her work gloves, slipped on her riding boots, and asked her brother if she could use Nightshade (their affectionate name for his electric dirt bike) because she forgot to charge Boomie aka Boomerang (Phoebe's electric 4-wheeler).

"Sure," says Pip.

As the three of us ready for a morning walk, we watch Phoebe zip away on Nightshade into the sunrise- the scene is priceless. I assume she'll be back around 830...at the latest. Our walk is lovely- normally, it's just Roo and me, but today we relish having Pip between us. I don't remember what we talk about, but we decided to take the long way.

At home, we wait for Phoebe to return. We busy ourselves with the crossword puzzle and making blueberry muffins (because who doesn't have blueberry muffins alongside Eggs Benedict?). Soon it's 830, then 9. The hunger is building as well as time to contemplate how this job at the barn is affecting our Easter. Roo reminds me that if this was any other Sunday, I wouldn't think twice about the time (Roo, forever the calm and patient one). I'm hungry! And I want to celebrate Easter! Lucky for me, Pip agrees:

"I can't wait anymore, dad. I'm so hungry." It's 930 at this point! The hangry is setting in. Even Sugar is restless because she can't be outside (those of you who know Sugar know she can't be trusted in the midst of an unguarded egg hunt!): she barks, and barks, asking us to let her out! "Sugar, we have to wait for Phoebe!" I explain.

Finally, I look out the kitchen window and see Nightshade and Phoebe speeding towards our driveway. It's 10am. "She's here!" I announce. Roo turns on the water, Pip puts the english muffins in the oven, and I get the plates. We are ravenous as we cheers our OJ vessels and drizzle our hollandaise sauce. Breakfast is quick and delicious. Next we head outside. Sugar stops barking and lays down in the sun. Grit snuggles up next to her. Baskets in hand, Pip and Phoebe take off. Within 3 minutes, Phoebe is in tears: "Pip is taking all the eggs," she cries. 3 minutes later: Pip makes a peace offering, the tears subside, and they take off again. Phoebe finds the golden egg.

"That's not fair," says Pip. (His basket has about 3 times the amount of eggs as his younger sister.)

Soon there are no more eggs to be found. The four of us, and Sugar and Grit, sit down on the warm flagstones in front of our house. Pip and Phoebe open up their eggs and share sparingly with their dad: jelly beans, gummy bunnies, and a twenty dollar bill in the golden egg. Then it's done. Easter has been had. Roo wanders off to build an outdoor shower; Pip and Phoebe eventually follow to help. I come back inside to write into the blue. It still doesn't work.

I google Easter instead and read about Easter symbolism: hares and rabbits represent fertility and the moon; lambs, a spring offspring are symbols of sacrifice; eggs are symbols of new life; and lilies symbolize purity and innocence. I read further: Easter is without a doubt one of the most important celebrations in the Christian calendar...the significance of Easter is Jesus Christ's triumph over death. 'Hmm,' I think to myself. (Obviously, I'm not very educated in Christianity despite "celebrating" the holiday as described above.) I close my computer (again) and decide to go for a run.

After my run, I do a little work in my garden. (I'm still not writing.) Remember the garlic cloves I planted back in November? Well, they're up and growing fast. I predict many garlic scapes by June 15 (Pip's birthday) and many garlic bulbs by July 11 (Phoebe's birthday). I have a late lunch and then return to my office, open up my computer to write when I hear:

"Mom, we have a situation," Phoebe yells from the back hall.

"Is everyone ok?" I run downstairs.

"Yes..." says Pip.

"Kind of" says Phoebe.

They are covered in thick, black mud, smiling. Pip is barefoot; Phoebe's has one boot on.

"What happened?"

"Phoebe got stuck in the mud at the magic trail," says Pip, "and when I picked her up, her boot came off. I had to take off my shoes to get her boot because she was hopping around on one foot."

They laughed, frozen in their mud-caked clothing.

"Did you lose the boot?" I ask.

"No, Pip got it" says Phoebe, lifting up, her wet, dripping, muddy boot..

"OK, put your boots outside, and both of you go take a shower!"

After I gather their muddy clothes, start a load of laundry, and vacuum the mud room, I return to my desk, open my computer, and...still nothing comes. Soon it's 6pm, and all I've got is a photo of the pretty flowers Roo gave me for Easter. I surrender: it's not happening today. I head downstairs to make dinner for Pip and Phoebe.

While the chicken nuggets are in the oven, Roo escorts Phoebe back over to the pony barn to finish her weekend job by putting the ponies in their stalls. (Roo or I have to go with her in the evening to ensure she doesn't get run over by one of the ponies!) This is a new gig for Phoebe. She has been riding at this barn since she was 5, but now she is working there too. She is helping with feeding, watering, and letting the ponies in and out on Saturdays and Sundays. And it's not her only gig either. She has also started a dog-walking business. You see, she recently asked me if she could get a horse, and instead of saying no, I suggested she save up for one. And that was all she needed to hear.

My favorite question to ask new mothers is how they would describe their newborn in one word? Then I encourage them to write that word down to see if it sticks. I did this with Pip and Phoebe, and their words have definitely stuck! I described Pip as "curious" and Phoebe as "determined."

In the 7 days since I suggested Phoebe save up for a pony, she has worked so hard I'm currently wondering if I should intervene. She can barely stay awake past dinner. The golden egg certainly helped her cause, but she's already made $101. At this rate, Roo and I may have to get creative about how we're going to bring a pony into our family sooner rather than later.

After their dinner, we watched 60 Minutes and were all struck by this 50-year-old story of a group of teens who were stranded together on a deserted island for 15 months before being rescued! I'm inclined to read this book for our next book club as I always hated the premise of Lord of the Flies. Any interest in leading it? Or know someone who might be? I digress.

After the news story, I put Pip and Phoebe to bed, or better said, I put Phoebe to bed and Pip to his book. Phoebe was already asleep by the time Roo went up to kiss her. After our dinner and an episode of this show, Roo and I went to bed too. I laid down thinking about the advice I once heard about writer's block: when it's not coming, don't force it, trust that it's being written in your subconscious. This put me at ease: I'll write into the blue as I sleep. And that was how I fell asleep.

I woke up a few hours later, wide awake, with this message in my head: Anything is possible! I saw the acronym again and again in my mind: A.I.P. I often remind my students and clients to remember that anything is possible. But it didn't hit me until last night just how important this mantra is to teach our children. Anything is possible, Phoebe, even a pony! I don't need to stand in your way with all the reasons why you can't get a pony: it's too expensive; it's too much work; where will it sleep?; who will take care of it when we're away? Instead I can show you that if it is meant to happen, and you work to make it happen, we'll be here to help anyway we can. Daddy or I will chaperone you at the barn. I'll check for spelling mistakes in your dog-walking flyer. Pip will count your cash rolled up in the small bell-jar. Set your intention. Put one step in front of the other. The rest will come.

'A.I.P. Yes, of course!' I think to myself as Roo sleeps soundly next to me. And it's Easter, or a few hours past, when I'm thinking this. It dawns on me this is what they meant when they said Easter's significance is Jesus Christ's triumph over death--in other words, anything is possible. There is always hope. Easter and spring are about hope and revival, which feels particularly charged this year as we transition out of the pandemic. There is hope all around us--in our children's desires; in vaccines making it possible for families to be together again on holidays, in our public schools re-opening, in the garlic tips peeking out of the ground, in the magic trail mud, in the forgotten story of the boys surviving on an island through collaboration, in letting the day unfold on its own, in letting the writing come as it wishes. Now, more than ever, we must make way for our children to believe anything is possible, even healing climate change, equality. for all, surviving pandemics...even buying a pony before there is a barn.

It looks like we now have two good reasons to build a barn: Blue Light and Phoebe's pony.

As always, thank you for reading,
Georgia

P.S.

1. Order or download your copy of See No Stranger and join us for our next Blue Light Book Club on April 28. Please register ahead of time. The $6 entrance fee will be donated to The Revolutionary Love Project.

2. Williams Fine Art Gallery and Blue Light are teaming up on April 29 at 730pm to bring a virtual art show to this community featuring Blue Light in fine art. Upon signing up you will receive an e-catalogue and on the night of the event, Ginny and I will introduce each painting and share some background on the piece and artist. Don't miss this fun and unique opportunity. More details to come.