on a sun-dappled driveway when the floor was messy and the laundry piles were merging and the house was unpainted and energy was waning, it was clear the moment wasn’t going to get better on it’s own.  when my babies were little, like 1, 4 and 8, i put all sorts of energy into determining our days.  i tend now to leave them be and feel tired from them shadowing my every move and sending their irritation towards each other.  so, i mustered up humble energy to help them “make that stuff with the white powder stuff and water and food coloring that is gooey until you squeeze it or hit it.”

oobleck, goo, goop, non-newtonian fluid…whatever you call it, we made it again. and in our town, it was fun to call it “non-newtonian fluid.”

we didn’t measure, we just added corn starch and water until the consistency was right.

then food coloring.

then more food coloring.

and even more food coloring.

at preschool we’ve used washable liquid paint that worked great too.

we left this on the driveway for a few days, let it dry up, added water again, then the remains all washed away with a spray of the hose.

the stance of these two is so familiar.  the way they rest their bodies, the averting of eyes from each other in concentration on what else is at hand, and the inevitable bickering that causes me to wonder if there is any holiness in it.

but if the mystery of life is among us, if joy is messy, if goodness morphs right before our eyes, then there probably is holy in it all.