In the Mindset series I reminisce about some of my favorite memories of my daughter's life when she was younger. I hope that the task of writing these entries will serve me well, and I hope too that you will enjoy going on this trip with me.Today's journey takes us to visit a backpack full of friends, a bouncy ball, and lots of energetic fun. For several years one of our favorite weekend adventures was to pack up a subset of my daughter's favorite stuffed animal friends and her favorite blue rubber ball and head off to the lab where I work. In the lobby of my office building is a large bright atrium that includes a wide upper balcony overlooking a large open space below. One of us was positioned on the balcony and one of us was on the ground. We would toss the animals up and down or we would toss them down and judge their landings. When we got tired we would play with the ball, tossing it back and forth, trying to outsmart each other with our throws. When we were out of breath and needed to relax, we would each get a soda from the vending machines and a bag of chips. While we caught our breath, we would sit on the sofa located up on the balcony and I would read from our latest book. Although we have not taken her animal buddies to the lab and played like this in several years, I can still hear her squeals of delight echoing off the walls whenever I pass through this area. This fills me with warmth and fondness for those afternoons at my office. Just me and her, her and me ... oh ... and a backpack of friends and a bouncy ball.
