Her reverie of the boy establishes Phoenix’s tendency to drift off. The reverie also suggests how her life might have looked had she and her family lived an easier life – a boy bringing her, in her old age, cake. Though a dreamer, she is also a determined realist, tending to her obstacles one at a time, and never deviating from her path. Note how she feels free to commune with nature, and how she is grateful to God for whatever small blessings are afforded her.