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Chapter 3: Seeing Abundance
How the best things in life are abundantly free
This chapter for the month of May has one of my favorite illustrations. It is also one of my favorite months here in Coastal Virginia and in the garden. Here are the Notes for this chapter from the end of the book that tell more about how the flower relates to the chapter’s message.
Seeing Abundance
Wild Rose (innocence and purity)
My Life With Gracie taught me there is always an abundance of the truly good things in life like friendship…and earthworms.
Fun Illustrator Fact: This illustration is important to me and to Gracie for a special reason: It is the start of a promise I made to her that every book published about her and the other chickens would have a drawing of her ballet slippers hidden somewhere inside. They seem to blend in so well with the pale pink wild roses, don’t they? Those wild roses will be blooming again soon!
Not until the end of the story and the “Notes” or “About This Book” section do I ever let readers know that there are things hidden for them to find. It adds to the mystery and excitement of reading, I think. (And for repeat readers, it’s probably become expected!) It may not be so easy to do in this next series of books The Dictionary of Curious Words, which is meant to be the full and complete, unabridged story of how Gracie was able to fulfill her promise to dance on the grandest stage in all of Paris, the stage of the Palais Garnier, home of the Paris Opera Ballet. And when she does, she has promised to remember that her very first stage was Nate’s (my) shoe.
These hidden ballet slippers (Have you spotted them yet?) go back to a part in the “Introduction” when Gracie wanted to know if there will be ballet dancing in the book. It broke my heart to tell her that it would not be there the way she had hoped for it to. But she was quite thrilled to search for and find her ballet slippers hidden away in the illustrations.
Chapter 3: Seeing Abundance
If a little chick is ever to quiver with excitement, it will be when they stand on grassy lawn for the first time. Then they realize, “This is almost too good to be true. This is the life for me!”
There is warming sunshine to enjoy and cool dewy grass to eat…and bugs everywhere! In an instant, their entire world became vividly alive with colors, sounds, and sensations.
For all my little chicks it was a huge revelation. At last they
knew where I had gotten all those earthworms for them. Before then, they had relied on me to bring them treats, but now they could hunt for their own treats!
With so many spring showers, it had been easy for me to collect earthworms from under the bricks and pavers and logs. There was an instant frenzy as soon as I tossed a worm into their brooder box.
Whoever got to it first would take it and run. Everyone would follow, hoping to grab it away from the lucky chick who was being chased!
Around and around they would go in their big oval gray brooder box. With their water bottle and food dish in the center, it was very much like a sports stadium. They were my little Olympians competing in the “Worm Olympics.”
There was only one direction…forward! And there was only one speed…as fast as their little feet would carry them! Each worm would get passed around several times. It took great skill to dodge and block and eventually maneuver into a spot where they could gobble it down.
It was their game, and somehow they made up their own rules. They owned it. I was only the referee who supplied the “worm toss” to start each contest. The object of the game was simply to have fun with their friends.
They never quarreled over who finally got the worm because there were always plenty of worms. (I saw to that!) There was always next time to be the champion.
Through their games, they began to understand the world is full of what they need with plenty for all. Once outdoors in their own backyard, they knew it for sure!
For their first times playing “Worm Olympics” outside, they didn’t see the hawks overhead or the snakes at the edge of the woods. They didn’t see the stray cats passing through our backyard looking for their next free meal. They only saw the abundance of all good things like the grass on the other side of the plastic playpen fencing. Somehow it looked better than what was right under their own feet.
Once a few of them spotted a gap in the fencing. They squeezed through and took off! After chasing them around the backyard, I realized those little chicks didn’t think very far ahead. They saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. They didn’t understand other animals could have taken advantage of a gap in the fencing to get inside.
When we had a close call with a feral cat, they started looking at things differently. But that is another story for another season.
Each outdoor adventure gave them new experiences and new knowledge. They played until exhausted, and then I scooped them up and returned them to their brooder box for a warm night of rest. They had all they needed with their friends and a world full of wonders.
My Life With Gracie taught me there is always an abundance of the truly good things in life like friendship…and earthworms.
