I.

I very distinctly remember that walk.

We were on a trail in one of our favorite state parks, all four of us.  My husband, son, and I were walking along at a persistent pace.  My daughter, on the other hand, was stopping at every hole in the ground to peer inside, sniffing each flower to see if it had an inviting scent, and picking up each fallen leaf to determine if she already had that color in her leaf collection.

At first, we were all entertained and often joined in her exploration.  The farther we got down the path, however, the more anxious each of us became.