Someone at work yesterday was talking about “pill bugs” getting into her house. I’ve heard the little critters called by several names, including doodle bugs, but we always called them rollie pollies.

Even though my friend was annoyed by the bugs in her house, I had to smile as I thought back to the days when Nathan and I would squat on the sidewalk and observe the rollie pollies. It was always a challenge to see if you could get one to crawl on your finger or hand without startling it into its defensive ball. Sometimes, we would tear off a blade of grass to coax it closer, then hold the grass and let it climb onto our hands. I remember how it tickled when one would walk up my arm.

It’s just a silly little bug, and it’s been decades since I’ve played with one, but thinking about it makes me miss Nathan so very much.