Poohsticks

"I think we all ought to play Poohsticks," So they did.

I have very fond memories of playing Poohsticks on various rivers and streams all over the world. Why? Good question. It's such a simple game and yet somehow it seems to me as though it's indicative of a good childhood. It makes me think of lazy summer afternoons when days had no hours and we'd just ramble about talking nonsense and exploring the world--picking through stones on the side of a bank or pointing out crayfish for the boys to catch. 

Poohsticks reminds me how differently I interact with nature now. Before it was about play and learning and now it's about endurance. Having just come off an Alpine hike that left my body aching I kept wondering if it was more fun to put myself through that for the sake of the view at the top and bragging rights than if I'd stopped by the river along the way and spent the day discovering its small beauties and ecosystem and, of course, racing Poohsticks.