Sprinklers and Starlight: A Lesson in Joy from Little Alexis

Lee and I sit on the front porch most days, laptops open, soaking in the calm rhythm of the outside world while we work. It’s become our little sanctuary, a place where the hum of nature blends with the tap of our keyboards.

This afternoon, like she often does, our sweet little neighbor Alexis popped over for a visit. She chattered away with her usual spark, weaving stories and laughter into our day. Then, mid-sentence, the neighbor’s sprinklers burst to life. Without a second thought, she took off, arms stretched high to the sky, hair flying, giggles trailing behind her like wind chimes in a summer breeze.

She didn’t hesitate. She didn’t ask permission. She didn’t stop to wonder if it was “okay.” She just went........as if her soul had been waiting for that exact moment to leap into the now.

And I just watched her, smiling so big it almost hurt. For a moment, time paused. In her joy, I remembered what it felt like to be a kid. To be free. Not a worry in the world. Just open skies, cold water, warm sun, and the purest expression of aliveness.

What happened to us?

Somewhere along the way, we traded in giggles for deadlines, imagination for responsibility. We got so good at being serious that we forgot how to dream. We made life heavy when it was meant to be light. We forgot that the magic never left we just stopped noticing it.

Magic still lives in sprinkler dances and sidewalk chalk. It hums in fireflies and morning dew. It hides in the rustling of trees, the smell of rain, and the sparkle in a child’s eye. It’s not gone. We’ve just been looking in the wrong places.

Alexis reminded me today: joy isn’t something you earn after working hard. It’s something you are, something you choose.

So may this little story remind you too. Let it nudge you into a smile, stir up something old and wild within you. Splash through the moment. Take life a little less seriously. Laugh for no reason. Dance like someone left the sprinklers on.

Because they did.

And the water’s just fine.