earthworm love

Did you know earthworms can drown?

Yeah, well, Caleb and I discover this sad little fact the other day as we're combing the yard for earthworms after a night of rain. Caleb is pretty into worms these days, and while I admit I have some growth to do in the creepy-crawly department as a mother of boys, I am--and have always been--a big fan of earthworms. They are so quiet and diligent in their (very important) work. And if, perchance, they get cut in half by, say, a well-intentioned but nevertheless brutal shovel, they don't die; they regenerate. And become two worms. That, my friends, is a dang marvel, if you ask me. And frankly, something to aspire to. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

So we come upon some of these miraculous beings in a puddle, and I'm very excited because SCORE! we don't have to painstakingly search through our too-high spring grass for those beloved, fascinating creatures. "Look, buddy, WORMS!!!" I exclaim, reaching into the cool water to fish out what I will soon discover are their dead, limp bodies. Oh. goodness.

Caleb, with a face full of pure, in-the-moment anticipation, reaches out his pointer finger to touch what he expects will be their wet, wriggling bodies--something that always makes him giggle and squeal with this-is-so-gross-but-I-still-love-it delight--but instead he gets just what you'd imagine: dead, squishy, soaking wet worm carcasses. He pauses, his upper lip turning up ever so slightly.

And I'm thinking, "Seriously? I gotta do death with a two year-old on this glorious, fresh, worm-filled day?"

"I think they...died, buddy..."

Blank stare. Long pause. Little body perfectly still.

"Ah, jeez..." I'm thinking, "He's devastated..."

Then he says, with absolute cheer and exuberance, "Night night, worms!"

Then later, when we discover yet another dead worm in a rain-filled flower pot, he tenderly and enthusiastically instructs it to "Lie down...put head on pillow! Turn off light! Niiiiight niiiiight...!"

Would that everyone could have such a simple, happy eulogy.