Darlings

I made a conscious effort with my children to call them My Darlings.

I love the word “darling.” I find it darling. (Add a syllable and it’s a kind of tea.)

And yes, I did swipe it from Peter Pan.

Anyway, unlike other attempts at an idealistic grace painted in full Disney color, this one seems to be a reality, as today, in the park, my daughter went up and down the slide with her doll, whom she was calling Darling!

I’m coming for you, Darling!

I’ll rescue you, Darling!

Darling, here we go!

As I heard her address her little purple friend in this manner, all the sweetness and tenderness I feel for my girl slid forth from the rocky parts of my heart.

The trees were black and yellow, grey and saffron, etchings of charcoal sparkling with glitter.

“Sadness, in this context, is not the opposite of happiness. The opposite of happiness is a closed heart. Happiness is a heart so soft and so expansive that it can hold all of the emotions in a cradle of openness. A happy heart is one that is larger at all times than any one emotion.”

- Elizabeth Lesser, The Seeker’s Guide

This, I feel, is the essence of autumn. Loss and beauty colliding, colluding together to make our hearts beat faster, and live.