I live in a very suburban spot with wide streets and a nearby grade school and a nearby public park with baseball and soccer fields and a dog park… there are people and families strolling all the time. More so now that going for a walk has taken on new value for us all. Even before quarantine, I always made a point to wave or say hello to folks in the neighborhood.

Today, when I went out to the mailbox, I encountered neighbors I’ve seen walking quite a bit recently: a young nanny and two little girls, one just a baby in a stroller. I always wave hi, so I felt pretty comfortable walking near them (six feet!) to put my outgoing mail in the box.

As I set the flag up, the little girl on foot says, “What are you doing?”

ME: “I’m mailing a postcard to a friend. You know how we’re all staying at home to make sure we are healthy and happy? That means I don’t get to see my friends for play dates. So I thought I would send some cards. It’s fun to get mail, don’t you think?”

DARLING GIRL: “My mommy lets me pick up the mail with her sometimes. I ride my bike every day. When I grow up I can ride my bike with my mommy. A bike is fun and fast.”

ME: “I love riding bikes! I’m so happy you get to ride every day! How old are you?”

She pauses to work on holding up the correct amount of fingers. This is tricky. I am patient. The nanny less so.

NANNY: “You’re two.”

DARLING GIRL: “I will be three soon.”

The nanny rolls her eyes. “Soon,” and time in general, is a loose concept for kids. Not their fault as adults abuse the vague nature of “soon” all the time with kids.

ME: “You’re two? Wow, you are very grown up. I thought you might be older than two.”

DARLING GIRL: “I am not grown up yet. This is my Elsa jacket. It’s pink, not blue, because pink is my happy color. Blue is Elsa’s happy color.”

Oh my god, I need a happy color. What is my happy color?!

ME: “It’s a fantastic jacket. And I love your shoes.”

Her shoes are two pink glitter bombs, somewhat resembling high-top Chuck Taylors, but entirely made of sparkle and magic and while I know the sole is rubber, the upper might be the skin of Care Bears or even a My Little Pony, I don’t know, I just know that they are not of this earth.

DARLING GIRL: “These are my outfit shoes!”

She points her toe out to display the left outfit shoe and rotated it carefully so that the light could catch all of the glitter.

I don’t exactly know how to articulate what an Outfit Shoe is, but by God, that single toe point with the rotation to display the glory of so much pink glitter… I GET IT. OUTFIT SHOES. YES.

I could feel my joy: that part of my heart that misbehaves and makes my face do things I can’t control like grin with all my teeth whenever I see a fat dog or a photo of a polar bear or kids wearing Hanna Andersson pajamas in public as real clothes or old people doing anything… etc.

Outfit Shoes are the whole point.

Two years old. A philosopher.

Quarantine has brought me knowledge in the form of DARLING GIRL.

Tomorrow I will begin my quest to find my happy color. And I am ready to embrace Outfit Shoes. And Outfit Earrings. And Outfit Sunglasses. And… and… and…