The Light and the Quiet

There was a covered-dish social in our new neighborhood tonight, at a covered patio area we're all obligated to pay money to be part of and maintain. People were friendly and, occasionally, even engaging. Many had either kids or dogs at the event, and baby thought that was a fine idea. She pet several of the dogs, chatted with a toddler peer or two, and generally ran around fast enough and often enough to tire out her already tired mom and dad. The scariest part was that the patio had no lights, or walls, and baby repeatedly walked in the semi-darkness toward the edge of the concrete slab as fast as she could, neither sensing nor seeing the danger. Though the edge of the patio verged on no great precipice, baby could have been injured taking a tumble nonetheless.) I was glad when we were back home, in the light and the quiet.