In a rare moment of relaxation for our little hard-working family, we made an uplifting discovery. This past weekend we headed to the Berkeley Marina to take in some beauty. While we were there we saw all kinds of neat Berkeley activities going on, but perhaps the coolest thing we saw was the Adventure Playground. My husband and I both love to make things of all kinds and are looking forward to all sorts of fun activities of that sort once our boy is ready. (He seems to be of our ilk, one of his current favorite activities while I’m sitting and writing is to use an allen wrench to unscrew the chair that I’m sitting on. My husband has helped significantly with encouragement, which I find a bit perplexing. He assures me that undoing one screw won’t make the chair collapse under my weight – oh good.) To know that a place like Adventure Playground is just a quick drive away from our place is heartening. Although, as we watched with great pleasure and utter amazement, my husband and I both had the same thought: we wouldn’t want to share with so many other kids. But we are both only children and neither of us grew up in such a highly populated area as this east bay of ours.

Anyway….here’s to embracing play! And here’s my expression of gratitude for Berkeley, and cool public spaces like the Adventure Playground. And to the people who came before us and did the work of bring the Adventure Playground into reality. And to those who keep it going. There is so much good being done in this little world of ours!