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A kernel of offseason fantasy advice

It's strawberry season in Tennessee, which is basically what I live for all year. Oh and football. But seriously: strawberries. Fresh strawberries are epic. My oldest son and I could probably eat our body weight in strawberries, so we frequent the local produce store often these days. I was in there with both my boys yesterday afternoon ("don't touch anything!" "that's not your produce!" "hands to yourself, don't squish the berries!" "be good, we can't be banned from this store!"), which is like herding cats to get in and out safely with the store still intact. We get in the car and my 5-year-old has a funny look on his face and he holds something tightly in his hand, which he claims to be a corn kernel that he found on the floor of the store near some bins of dry goods. I considered having him march back into the store to return this kernel to its rightful place but 1) everyone was already back in their car seats (enough said? need I go on?) 2) I don't even know that this is a corn kernel since it is so tightly grasped in his hand that I haven't been able to see it 3) why would they have dried corn in a bin? No for real, what does one do with that?! So after getting an earnest promise that in the future we won't just take things from a store because we want it, we drove home, and the boy slithered out of his car seat and ran straight for his shovel. He planted the "corn kernel" in our front yard. Before bed last night, he requested a lengthy discourse on how that corn kernel might grow into a gigantic corn stalk given the right amount of sun and water. So this morning when we walked out into a light rain, he cheered "My corn! This rain is great for my corn!"

My boy is an optimist. A gardener. Focused and delighted with the little things. And it makes my heart happy. As do all of you who sent me e-mails and commented on the blog here, letting me know that posting once a week is enough. That you'll still come back for more if that's all I can give this year. I'm deeply appreciative of your loyalty. I've got a handful of links below, but go forth today and find that "corn kernel" that fills you with a 5-year-old's sense of joy and purpose.

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