There are no seven wonders of the world in the eyes of a child. There are seven million.
~Walt Streightiff
It is easy to forget this. Every last inch and ever last minute of our day is a potentially new and exciting experience for my children, even if that is playing with the same old toy or rope, but using it or their imagination in a new way. My jaded eyes and ears sometimes skip over items that are able to bring joy to my babies. I love how enthralled and captivated they can be by things.
I took the kids to the children's museum last week and we found ourselves staring at this neat ball roller coaster/maze thing for a good 20 or more minutes. It is pretty fascinating, even for me, but after a couple minutes of watching I started shifting back and forth, eager to hustle the kids to another spot. One look at their enraptured faces and I committed to stay as long as they wanted without breaking their trance. I found myself using the time to really follow the balls, to really watch all the random events that put them on the path that they wound up on. I found myself looking forward to the thunk of a ball bouncing on just the right spot to put it back on the track or the balls that made certain chimes ring just so. It was amazing. Truly worthy of being considered a wonder of the world. I have never appreciated it for what it is before.
We have been enjoying the occasional strawberry eaten within seconds of being picked from it's spot in our garden. A likes to help me look for them since she is usually the one eating them and I recently realized just how much she enjoys finding and picking these little treats. We even have to argue over some of the greener ones even though she knows and tells me they are not ready yet. She just enjoys the experience so much that she finds it hard to wait another day to see the progress. I just laugh when she tells me "Look! There's another one! It's ready, see? It's ready." To her our strawberry plants are one of the wonders of the world.
So... I am trying to slow down, to step back and recognize everything for what it is and has the potential to be. I am trying to look at things from a fresh perspective, trying to see the wonder in the world around me. And it is truly wonderful.
It is easy to forget this. Every last inch and ever last minute of our day is a potentially new and exciting experience for my children, even if that is playing with the same old toy or rope, but using it or their imagination in a new way. My jaded eyes and ears sometimes skip over items that are able to bring joy to my babies. I love how enthralled and captivated they can be by things.
I took the kids to the children's museum last week and we found ourselves staring at this neat ball roller coaster/maze thing for a good 20 or more minutes. It is pretty fascinating, even for me, but after a couple minutes of watching I started shifting back and forth, eager to hustle the kids to another spot. One look at their enraptured faces and I committed to stay as long as they wanted without breaking their trance. I found myself using the time to really follow the balls, to really watch all the random events that put them on the path that they wound up on. I found myself looking forward to the thunk of a ball bouncing on just the right spot to put it back on the track or the balls that made certain chimes ring just so. It was amazing. Truly worthy of being considered a wonder of the world. I have never appreciated it for what it is before.
We have been enjoying the occasional strawberry eaten within seconds of being picked from it's spot in our garden. A likes to help me look for them since she is usually the one eating them and I recently realized just how much she enjoys finding and picking these little treats. We even have to argue over some of the greener ones even though she knows and tells me they are not ready yet. She just enjoys the experience so much that she finds it hard to wait another day to see the progress. I just laugh when she tells me "Look! There's another one! It's ready, see? It's ready." To her our strawberry plants are one of the wonders of the world.
So... I am trying to slow down, to step back and recognize everything for what it is and has the potential to be. I am trying to look at things from a fresh perspective, trying to see the wonder in the world around me. And it is truly wonderful.
Now I need to go to sleep. Being on the computer brings out the insomniac in me.
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