The initial grass stains of a to-be-well-used baseball.

I need to spend more time outside with my son. He’s 10 and he needs to be outside. He’s proud of the grass stains on this baseball and we made a plan to get it good and dirty by the end of the summer. It’s a good thing to pay attention to these kinds of details and what they represent. A dirty old baseball is a symbol of hours spent in the yard, together, being active, doing things together, getting fresh air, learning, teaching, just being.

Also, it’s just a baseball. Simple.

Sometimes when we get tired, we lay on the grass and look up at the sky and talk. The ball lays beside us, getting greener and more beautiful.