river play

It's interesting to see life through my son's eyes. His perspective is completely different than mine or any of the girls. Yesterday, we were walking along the Mississippi flipping over rocks and generally wading into the river until our shoes were soaked and our spirits refreshed. My son, however, bounded down the rocky hill and jumped into the river with no fear or reservation. Upon hitting the water, he slipped and bounced to the bottom with the water coming up to his shoulders. He looked at me with a glint of mischief and said: "Mom- I wet!"
He continued to roll around until he was not only completely soaked, but also covered in sand. Then, he saw an awesome rock downriver and started trudging toward it as his hands danced in the water. The rock was about 2 feet from the shore and nice and flat. He first climbed up on it and exclaimed: "Look at me!" Then, he jumped off the rock with a large splash and giggled at his genius. Of course, the fun was definitely not over as he again and again climbed up and then jumped into the river. His giggles signaling to all of us that he was joying in his play.
At one point, he noticed a very sandy shoreline, which soon became a place to roll around and around until he was covered in sandy paste.
I wish that sometimes I could simply delve into this playful freedom. What a gift.