October 2, 2019 was a very rainy day, just the kind of day to stay indoors and be cozy.

Not so at SVS. At least half of the student body was outside, either disregarding the rain altogether, or carrying out their activities as if it wasn’t wet outside. They used the swings, slid down the wet slide, falling into the puddle on the bottom, only to climb back up and slide again over and over, generally getting their clothes wetter and wetter.

Some of the kids were running or chasing each other, others were walking around, simply enjoying being rained on. The exuberance of these kids was palpable, and it made a great show for the older teens and the staff watching this scene from the covered porch, which kept them dry.

As I was watching this scene it occurred to me that the students here at SVS can “carpe diem” (“seize the moment”) and use the ever-changing environment to invent infinite new games and activities. I don’t think that even creative and inventive adults could match these kids in using what is at hand to such an extent.

Experience gives you wisdom and gravitas but it comes at a cost: loss of flexibility, loss of enthusiasm for new and novel experiences, and above all loss of the pure joy of being alive that these young students have in great abundance.

Watching them exult in playing in the rain was a special delight for me.