The playgrounds opened in our state, so today, we decided to take my daughters for the first time.

My four-year-old was so excited when we got there that she kept palming at the car window as if she could somehow play through them.

There was only one other family there, so I felt okay letting them play.

And it was beautiful watching my kids in their element, especially my eldest.

I watched her swing up and down as the warm air hit her face, making her hair rise.

My husband pretended to be a monster and chased the girls in circles as they slid down the slide and climbed the colorful play equipment.

The laughter of my children echoed in my heart.

Because only a week ago, I had driven by this same playground and had seen it barren, swings upside-down, caution tape encircling it, as its only company was the whistling trees and the long grass.

And it was lovely to see it alive again.

And I don’t have a crystal ball.

I don’t know a lot of things.

I don’t know how long the park will stay open.

I don’t know if I’ll send my four-year-old to her last year of pre-school this fall.

But what I do know is that we all need a boost in our mental health.

What I do know is it brought all of us much needed happy echoes of laughter and joy,

on top of big smiles.

And for now, I'll relish in that.

Because that’s all we CAN do.

Because to my family, especially right now in this climate,

this playground’s so very special and loved.

This post originally appeared on the author's Facebook. Her book Living FULL: Winning My Battle with Eating Disorder is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2O4mJId