Life Through Analisa

A few days ago, while I was back in my hometown in Java, I decided to take my nieces and nephews to the fields.

It was actually a very simple idea.

After school, I picked them up from their homes, and then we all went to the fields together on motorcycles with my father and my sister-in-law. There were about six kids in total.

Once everyone had gathered, I asked them,

“So, what should we do?”

Some of them immediately got excited when I said,

“How about fishing? Let’s bring our fishing rods.”

And just like that, we headed to the fields with a very simple plan: go fishing and play until we were tired.

The kids were so excited.

And somehow, seeing how happy they were made me happy too.

In this day and age, when children can so easily spend hours on their gadgets, it felt really nice to see them just as excited about going to the fields.

Turns Out, the Fields Were Dry

When we arrived, our fishing plan failed completely.

The fields were dry.

It was the middle of the dry season, so there was no water—and obviously, no fish to catch.

The fields that would normally be planted with rice had turned into dry land, with corn growing here and there.

Well, okay.

If we couldn’t go fishing, we would just find something else to do.

We walked along a small path between the corn fields. The kids went down toward the lower part of the field, looking for a kalen—a small water channel that usually carries water around the rice fields.

But the kalen was dry too.

There was no water at all.

I thought they might be disappointed.

But they weren’t.

Instead, they climbed back up and started coming up with their own ideas.

“So, what are we going to do now?”

And eventually, the fields simply became our playground.

The Fields Became a Playground

They started playing hide-and-seek among the corn plants, lemongrass, and other areas around the fields.

Some hid.

Some searched.

They ran here and there.

There was no playground.

No Wi-Fi.

No video games.

Just dirt, plants, fresh air, and five kids who were free to run around.

And apparently, that was more than enough to make them happy.

After they got tired from playing, we stopped for lunch.

They had brought rice and fried chicken from home. We sat down together and ate in the simplest way possible—sitting on the ground at the edge of the fields.

Honestly, the food tasted really good.

Not because it was fancy.

Actually, it was the atmosphere that made it special.

Eating rice and fried chicken in the middle of the countryside, surrounded by children laughing, talking, and joking around, had its own kind of happiness.

We also brought some snacks, chips, and chewing gum.

And this was where something funny happened.

One of the kids, Uwais, was apparently still not very good at chewing gum.

He was trying so hard to blow a bubble, but he kept failing.

His face was so serious while he was trying.

The rest of us could only laugh.

Those little moments were exactly what made such a simple afternoon memorable.

Looking for Young Coconuts

After lunch, we started looking for another activity.

“Okay, what should we do now?”

So we decided to walk around and explore the area.

We walked from one end of the fields to the other, looked at the plants, passed through the corn fields, and searched for coconut trees.

We were hoping to find some young coconuts that we could eat.

But there were none.

We looked over there.

Nothing.

We checked somewhere else.

Still nothing.

Eventually, we gave up and headed back.

We didn’t find any young coconuts, but it didn’t really matter.

The search itself had already become part of the fun.

After that, the kids sat around at the edge of the field and started chatting.

And of course, the conversation went everywhere.

That’s just how kids are.

They can jump from one story to another without ever seeming to get bored.

I just sat there, listening to them and occasionally recording little moments of their afternoon.

Turns Out, They Were Happy

What made me happiest about that day wasn’t that we managed to do anything special.

We didn’t go fishing.

We didn’t find any young coconuts.

The water channel was completely dry.

But they were still happy.

Every time I said,

“Come on, let’s go play in the fields,”

they immediately got excited.

And I found that really interesting.

My hometown isn’t actually that far from the city. But the atmosphere is still very much like a village, with rice fields, gardens, small paths, and open spaces where children can play.

Maybe that’s why I started realizing that children don’t always need expensive things to be happy.

Sometimes they just need space to run.

Friends to play with.

Time to talk.

And perhaps, every once in a while, an adult who is willing to take them outside and away from their gadgets.

Childhood Doesn’t Have to Be Spent in Front of a Screen

It also made me think about my own childhood.

Back then, life was simple.

We played outside.

We played with our friends.

We ran around.

We played in the fields.

We came home with dirty feet and sweaty clothes.

There were no smartphones keeping us entertained for hours.

No social media.

No YouTube available at any time of the day.

And strangely enough, those are the moments I still remember.

Maybe that’s because childhood memories don’t always come from big or expensive experiences.

Sometimes, they come from the simplest things.

Playing together.

Eating a packed lunch somewhere unusual.

Laughing because someone couldn’t blow a bubble with chewing gum.

Looking for young coconuts that weren’t even there.

Walking through the fields without really having a destination.

And maybe, someday, I hope they will remember that day too.

That after school, someone picked them up and took them on motorcycles to the fields.

That they played hide-and-seek among the corn plants.

That they ate rice and fried chicken sitting on the ground.

That they laughed together over the smallest things.

Because I believe childhood doesn’t have to be spent in front of a screen.

Children also need to feel the ground beneath their feet, the wind on their faces, the sound of their friends laughing, and the freedom to play without having to think about anything else.

Maybe that’s how childhood memories are made.

Simple moments.

Nothing fancy.

But hopefully, unforgettable.

A day in the fields. Six kids. No fancy plans. Just laughter, food, and a little bit of childhood.

And for me?

It was an unforgettable day.