Here's a little hard core truth for you this Monday morning.
I used to eat bugs.
It's true.
When I was little my family lived in Australia. Let me show you where exactly.
This is not my map. I don't think Australia is all that bad. I have rather fond memories of it. But I do think that the whole country looks upside down. Is is just me? But then again, maybe they are upside down. Don't their toilets flush the opposite way? Maybe the equator is the only true right side up place to be. Wow. I'm confusing myself.
So yeah. We lived in Alice Springs. And I was a scrappy little dirt monger. Who ate bugs. I think the aboriginal children taught me that. I had lice and worms and the soles of my feet were like three inches thick with calluses because I never wore shoes. I was a virtual waltzing Matilda.
And I was happy. I was a very very happy child. My bum itched a little because of the worms, but other than that life was good.
And now I'm a mother. And although my first baby was kept hermetically sealed in a germ proof environment until the day I got a grip, I let my kids grub in the dirt on a regular basis. Because I have this theory.
I think that maybe, just maybe, when a human being puts their hands in the soil of the Earth, it's transformative. It's almost as if we soak up life the way plants do. When a child is allowed to explore nature with all of their senses they are happier and more well rounded. That's what I think anyway.
We don't live in an area where my children can roam free the way I used to. This makes me a little sad. But we do have a big backyard and plenty of fun nature places to visit. My kids are yet to have lice or worms but Frankie has been known to suck on a snail or two. I think they are getting a fair dose of nature. And they seem like happy kids.
And I have another theory. I think it might have been the bugs that made me bionic. Yep, I definitely think it was the bugs.
Photo of me by Bubba-Loo
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